Different Paths
by The Green Seer
Summary: Kimiko vowed to protect Tokyo from all criminals and she would do that. However, her world is srongly shaken by the arrival of Phantom, the most mysterious thief of the world, and eventually it comes crashing down as their destinies interwine.
1. Meeting

**I know that I have other stories which should take priority, however, I'm kind of stuck with them. 'Waltzing with Death' needs the plot re-created, 'Off World' was my brother's idea and I honestly don't feel like continuing it anymore. It's just so hard for me to write it for some reason, and 'Paranormal Restrains', I'm trapped in a point that I don't know how to get over. **

**Besides, this story has been sitting in my laptop for a **_**very**_** long time. **_**And**_**, it's almost done. I have two more chapters and the story will be finished. I'm really content with that and I'm very proud of myself. I also have the sequels sketched out and again I'm proud of how they ended up, still, writing them would prove to be a challenge.**

**Now about this piece of my imagination!**

**This is an AU, in case you don't know it means Alternate Universe, the characters are older and please don't say how OOC they are because frankly I've tried to keep them in character but my personal views of them has changed in the past year. I haven't watched a whole episode of 'Xiaolin Showdown' in a long time simply because I find them quite childish now. But that doesn't deter my love for the show or my opinion of how much potential it has. **

**Back to the story, cause I'm rambling, the first chapters are written a few months ago so you may find somewhere in the future a change of, I don't know, style? Let's say style. I've read a few days ago my past works and I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed especially with 'Demon Love'. I don't even want to go back and re-edit it. I only changed slightly the first chapter but I couldn't go on and do it for the next chapters. So much I hate it but I don't want to take it off either. Because that's a proof of how much I've improved. And again I'm rambling…**

**I don't think I have anything else to say that's on the subject…Oh, well! Enjoy! **

**Meeting**

The black sky hovered like a mantle over the gleaming city of Tokyo hiding in dark shadows the small streets and buildings on the far ends of the steel and stone sea. The more complicated and populated roads were brimming with amazing light shows thanks to the fancy cars traveling around in an ongoing nighttime party. The heated air caused by the massive population of vehicles raised a strong urge of freedom from the inhabitants but no one could really escape from the life of the city when it was in a full swing like that night. Still there were some people completely unaffected by the city's activities having their own share of problems and worries hanging above their heads. Their concern however circled around a common notion, or better said, around a common person.

Said person smirked when a small window with the message 'Access Allowed' popped on the screen of his computer before carefully looking over his shoulder in case of any guards patrolling around. With the coast clear, he took the invitation of surfing through the building's security system taking care to stay as low as possible as to not be detected _that_ quickly.

He found the locations of every surveillance cameras inside the building as well as his target and how well it was protected. The methods used could only make him smile brighter at the thought of a perfect challenge right before he left the city. He slowly closed the small computer putting it safely in his backpack and crawled to the border. Glancing swiftly over the edge and then around him, the figure released a wire from his utility belt at the end of which he attached a steel claw. After he securely placed it on the border, the young man jumped over the edge holding a hand on the wire while the other was left dangling in the air. His feet softly touched the thick glass of the building for five seconds before his body was thrown down in a steady rhythm until he reached the wanted floor.

He stopped the wire and positioned his feet on the glass wall so that he stayed in a crouch. The position was quite hard to maintain not to mention that he was very vulnerable standing like that; hanging from a sickly thin wire on the side of a skyscraper when someone down on the streets could easily see him and blow into splinters his 'oh so long planned plan'? Actually, it wasn't the fact that the police would find him that worried the thief so much…it was more about the hit his pride would suffer from and the thing that for the first time he would lose.

And he hated to lose! He has never lost a game before and he didn't plan on starting now!

The black blade fluidly cut through the glass without a sound and the young man put it back in one of his pants' pockets. It was a good thing his outfit consisted from dark clothes because he could easily blend in with the shadows and sneak between the guards with more accuracy.

His fingertips pressed on the freshly cut piece of glass without moving it an inch and using his free left hand he lightly pushed a button on his wristwatch. The tips of his gloves shone blue for a second before the light ceased and he softly tugged with his right hand the chunk of glass watching as it followed his move. Smiling, the thief pushed forward until he felt a weight straining his forearms' muscles and he knew he was already in.

His slim body snaked through the opening and he let his eyes trail on both ends of the darkened hall as his feet soundlessly touched the floor. Another tug on the wire and the claw detached itself the thin cable coming back in his belt in a few seconds. Pressing the same button, his fingertips glowed blue again and he could finally let go of the glass but not until he put it back in the wall as to not arouse suspicions.

With a silent breath of relief, the thief crouched down pressing his back on the opposite non-transparent wall his calculated gaze searching the hall from the shadows for any cameras or laser beams. When he found none, his tense shoulders slightly relaxed and he swiftly moved to sit up walking cautiously in the direction of his target.

His eyes lazily bored on the glass wall watching the city pumping with life behind them and his hands moved to rest behind his head. A sigh escaped his lips and his thoughts were once again filled with the excitement of his previous games, mentally chuckling at how explosive things turned out to be in the end. He hoped that this time he would be able to scat without any detective or macho policeman coming in to stop him…However, that wasn't his style!

The increasing sounds of a conversation and the approaching steps from the hall in front of him stopped the black clad figure in his tracks. He quickly hid behind a tall plant letting the darkness engulf him as the two guardians came into view.

"Do you really think he'll come? I don't know why but I'm pretty scared!" a quite short man spoke looking nervously outside the window.

His partner looked two times bigger than him and seemed to be the first's opposite. He gave a booming laugh that startled the short man. "Why are you even afraid of? He's just a guy!"

"But the rumors…"

"Rumors are rumors, baka! If the Phantom comes, we'll surely catch him! Che…scary cat!" the big man chuckled and walked off leaving the short one behind.

"Ok…If you say so!"

The two continue to talk and he waited for them to get out of sight and hearing range before he emerged from the shadows and continue his march. His hands were set behind his head again and his feet stepped on the floor almost gliding. The small dialog between the two guards played in his head and he couldn't stop the pang of anger and disappointment coiling in his chest.

He wasn't taken seriously? He thought that after that little thing with Brazil's Ambassador's ring he would go straight to the national news…but some of the law men only seemed to think of him as your run of the mill guy who wanted attention. His hands clenched and his jaw tightened as everything swirled in his head but...

It didn't matter anymore! He knew what he was doing…he had a purpose! And he planned to make himself known to achieve it!

He turned the corner after he made sure it was safe and ventured deeper inside the building the playful, carefree smirked back on his lips and his mind clearer than ever. He easily avoided the surveillance cameras ducking low with grace each time they turned to him. It was like a game of hide and seek…that's what he liked to think! A game that he would always win!

The maze of corridors and halls kept going and as he walked closer to the central point he noticed the higher security. The hide and seek fused with a tag game. That as well was on his favorite game list although he had to admit he was better at it than at the previous one. The laser beams were naked to the human eye as long as the room was clean and no particles flew in the air like in his current situation, but using some special lens everything resumed at how well you moved between them and how well you stay out of the security cameras' range.

Piece of cake!

Flip here, a little stretch there, another jump followed swiftly by a well executed hand sprint and then break…analyze the surrounding for any signs of movements and start again finishing with a perfect landing. And after that just continue to go down the hall.

Simple!

He tilted his head back in time to see the laser beams flickered out of life and…

"Hurry up! We need to get there before he does!" barked a tall figure speeding his pace. The other three with him complied with a 'yes' and jog behind him until they reached a metal double door. "I won't be a fool like the Brazilian Ambassador and let my sword to be taken away in front of my own eyes."

In a quick swing of his hand, the man put his hand on an empty part of the wall making it open to reveal a small device. He fast typed the password before bending down to let it scan his eye. It closed again and the door swung open, the man and his three followers entering the room.

The chamber was quite big and completely empty except from the sword standing on a shelf in the middle. The blade was golden with a streak of black coming from the tip and ending in a swirl near the guard. The hilt was red slightly curved upwards and on the ring at the pommel there was tied a red tassel.

"I would like to see that delinquent trying to get my treasure!"

The masked thief smirked as he tinkered with the device in front of the sword's room. It was good he caught a few tips of how to hack in a computer and using those skills he cut with a devious smile the cameras in the room and opened the door with a swish. At the same time, Mr. Hogai received a not so pleasant call informing him of the sudden turn of events and his yells and cries drew the attention of the other occupants of the room. Phantom moved between them like a shadow and by the time he was seen by the two policemen he was already running out of the room.

"STOP HIM!"

The scream was followed by two simultaneously gun shots that luckily missed their moving target until the man yelled again. "No! My sword! Don't hit my sword!...O-Oy! Miss Nobiyuki, what are you – "

The young lady accompanying them took off running after the thief, gracefully turning the corner while throwing her heels and at the same time leaving the three men to stare dumbly at her decreasing form.

With the security system now activated, the halls were engulfed in a red glow and the windows started to seal themselves. The view of the city was replaced with steel giving the inside a claustrophobic feeling. But the woman shrugged it off, concentrating on speeding up to catch up with the thief. She watched him looking at her over his shoulder with a sneer, but that only put gaze on fire.

She let out a small growl in the back of her throat and narrowed her sapphire eyes as he reached the stairs and began bouncing on the balustrade upwards. "Che…You're not getting away from me Phantom!"

Following his example, the woman leaped on the railing and continued the pursuit until they reached the last floor. When she got there she was surprised to see him leaning on the wall with the sword strapped on his back, his hands in his pockets and wearing the same cocky grin as before. Now that she finally saw him in flesh the woman started to feel uneasy under his unmoving gaze but nevertheless she was staring with the same intensity at him.

A head taller than her, black sneakers, loose black pants, a tight white turtle neck t-shirt showing his well built abdomen, a black long sleeved half shirt on top and black leather gloves. On his face there was a black mask that covered his eyes and half of his nose letting long chocolate brown bangs to cover his forehead. She couldn't see his eyes, only two white slits that gave her the chills. Still she didn't let that scare her.

"Return the sword!" She said confidently.

Phantom ginned widely tilting his head playfully at her. "Can't I get the lady's name first?"

"I am an officer and if you hadn't noticed the whole building is sealed with you and some dozens of policemen in. Stop goofing around and do what I say!"

Phantom thought he almost lost it and would burst out laughing his head off in any minute. "You have no idea how many times I've heard that, but here I am…talking to you. Why do you think this will be any different? Because you're here? I've heard that too!"

The girl felt stuck by his comment and decided to change the topic. Maybe she would be able to get some answers before her team came. "Who are you? Why are you even hiding yourself? You're only a lousy thief after all!"

"I might as well have a social life y'know!"

"Then why are you stealing? Money? Is that it?" Now that the conversation was going somewhere she decided to give all her attention to the young man in front of her. The man that didn't seemed older than her, and that was saying something since she was 21.

"Maybe…but I prefer the funny part!" He seemed so nonchalant and careless that the girl barely stopped herself from hitting him.

"Fun? You're doing it for fun? You like to see all those people sad and angry just for the fun of it? What kind of – "

"They're rich!"

She looked taken aback by the serious tone he had. His smirk was gone replaced with a thin line and she could outline his gritted teeth and clenched jaw not to mention his stiff posture. When he thought he had her attention, Phantom continued. "They are rich! They can afford anything they want unlike some of the people who work and work and it's still not enough for the big and powerful ones! They have no idea of how life truly is for the unluckiest ones…how they live with the worries that maybe their houses won't be the next day or that their children will starve from the lack of food in the end. They don't know how it is to be on the verge of losing everything they cared and worked so hard to get!"

He stopped leaving a long tense silence to pass between them. The stunned expression that crossed the young woman's feature was priceless and in that moment he felt like he wanted to make her feel pathetic, to throw all the truth in front of her, to show her that not everything is just and right. But he didn't…

"And beside…I retrieve the things after a few days." At this he smiled mischievously. "…in special ways!"

He prepared to leave when the woman snapped out of her shock. "Wait! My name is Kimiko…"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "Sure thing, Miss Tohomiko! Name's Phantom!" At her glare look he added. "What? You didn't expect a real name did you?"

Kimiko crossed her arms over her chest shaking her head. "You are not going anywhere! Why don't you get it?"

He flashed her that 'I know something you don't know' smile that started to piss her off so much in the past minutes when the roof suddenly exploded and rocks fell between them obscuring her view of the masked boy. She stepped back just as armed men appeared around her while a few others tried to find Phantom through the dust and debris.

"Took you long enough…" She muttered coughing in her sleeve. "Go on the roof and look around! He couldn't get too far!" At her order the men fled and with a last glance at the brand new ventilation system Kimiko went too.

Truthful to her words, the brown haired boy recovered the metal hook he used to glide on the side of the building and fixed it on the nearer skyscraper using a grappling launcher. Without a second thought he leaped off the edge this time drawing the citizens attention who looked at him in awe and fear as well as the fast bullets passing inches away from his face.

"God…I hate when it comes to this part!"

With a grunt he pushed his feet forwards to meet the wall of the building instead of him crashing in it before pressing the retract button on the launcher. He was glad the distance to the roof wasn't too big and the police men were trying hard to not hit the sword, that consequently resulting in actually not hitting him seeing as the valorous blade was placed on his back.

When he finally grabbed the edge he quickly pulled himself up falling in a god damn run as far away as possible from the crowded area. Casting a glance behind him when the guns stopped he chuckled lightly when he saw Kimiko screaming at them before he returned his gaze forward trying to find a way of escaping from the hellish pursuit of the helicopters.

That wasn't too hard! The only thing he had to do was get on the ground and he was as good as free!

**-.-**

Kimiko closed the door behind her and headed for the bathroom throwing her coat on the sofa as she passed by it. Half paying attention she turned on the water and took off her clothes. She felt exhausted, angry, confused and sad at the same time and she also felt a headache coming like a storm in her head.

"_They are rich! They can afford anything they want unlike some of the people who work and work and it's still not enough for the big and powerful ones! They have no idea of how life truly is for the unluckiest ones…how they live with the worries that maybe their houses won't be the next day or that their children will starve from the lack of food in the end. They don't know how it is to be on the verge of losing everything they cared and worked so hard to get!"_

Her conversation with Phantom was still fresh in her mind and she couldn't bring herself to disagree with his words. He was right! The poor people had to do what the richer told them because they had the power and in order to maintain their lives on the same line they had to respect them.

Was Phantom one of them? Was he trying to show the richer how little they need all those treasures? '_Well…that was plain stupid! He could have chosen other way!_' Kimiko shook her head and let the steam engulf her relaxing her tired body in the hot water.

She felt like walking on soft feathers after getting out of the bath. Her mind was empty and her body followed a normal routine wrapping around her a towel and another one on her head. After leaving the stuffed boiling air of the bathroom she walked to her room letting her breath adjust to the chilling atmosphere around her.

Skipping the usual announcement she would make to her best friend after every mission, Kimiko threw herself on her comfy bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin quickly falling asleep with her thoughts far away from the new criminal she had to catch.


	2. Resting

**So, here it is, the next installment of 'Different Paths'. Things are normal and peaceful for now but with the gang around you never know what is going to happen. :D **

**Resting **

Red and yellow lights shone in the horizon signaling the start of a new day. The blueness of the night slowly dismissed under the presence of the sun crawling on the sky with each ticking second. The boy groaned scrunching his eyes shut as to not let the light disturb his sleep. Alas, it didn't work! As the bus pulled to a stop he stood up rubbing his sleepy eyes while his other hand blindly searched for his backpack.

When he find it, he walked in the front nodding as he passed by the driver. He smile in return. "Long week?"

The boy inwardly smirked glancing at him. "You have no idea Haku-san!"

"Heh…is really nice of you to visit your home so often. I'm sure you're very busy in the city!"

"Yeah! But I like to keep in touch with everyone!"

"I'm sure Rai!"

He grinned at him and continued to descend the small stairs until his feet touched the hard ground. Looking up, he scanned the village spreading in front of him. It wasn't big so the people knew each other fairly well. Also it had everything everyone needed so trips in the nearby city weren't too frequent.

The cold air of the morning was refreshing to his lungs and the soft wind blew in his black coat sneaking through it and on his skin. He felt good to finally be home and he couldn't wait to see his best friend. Taking a deep breath, Rai walked though the small, modest streets smiling and nodding at the familiar faces around. He even stopped and showed some kids how to play with a soccer ball for ten minutes before he made his way on the other side of the village.

The house he came across had two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. It was small and gave that old feeling that it has been around for ages but he liked it because that's where he had spent most of his childhood…after _it_ happened.

Rai entered without knocking and swiftly threw his bag on the sofa. He took off his black coat that hid the sword strapped on his back and walked in the next room. There, on the desk, with thousands of pieces of god-knew-what around him stood a red haired boy snoring lightly.

The yellow goggles he usually wore on his head were hanging around his neck letting his red strands to cover his eyes while the black tattered coat was thrown on one of the beds along with other metal thingies that Rai didn't wanted to know about yet.

At the sight of his defenseless and unknowing form, Rai couldn't stop the devious smirk that crept on his face. He silently sneaked beside him and clearing his throat…

"JAAACK!"

The boy gave a startled yell jerking his body upwards and causing his chair to unbalance beneath him resulting in a heap of messy red hair and pale limbs trying in vain to grab on to something but failing miserably. He frantically looked around when he spotted the green eyed boy above him holding back his laughter…or at least trying to because he didn't seem to succeed.

"Come on man! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Rai rolled his eyes but offered his hand, and Jack took it getting to his feet. As the red headed boy dusted himself, the Brazilian grabbed the hilt of the sword on his back and shoved it in his face startling the teen once again. "What do ya say about this?"

It took Jack a few seconds to understand what his friend was talking about and when he did, his eyes widened comically. "Why didn't you tell me anything?" he asked snatching the blade to have a better look.

"It was just a last minute thing I had to take care of!" the brunette replied nonchalantly.

This time, Jack had to roll his eyes. "When you say it, it seems like nothing! Do you even have any idea what this is?"

Rai only raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "A pretty sword?"

"I understand now why I'm the genius around here!" Jack muttered earning a scowl from his friend. "This is the Sword of the Storm, a _very_ precious artifact! Hey, maybe we can sell it so I can buy some more components for our equipment."

"No!" shouted Rai grabbing the blade. "Mr. Hogai leaves Sunday morning. I have to get it back by then!"

Jack pouted mentally saying goodbye to all the devices he planned to purchase. "Fine! Let's keep the normal routine!" He took the sword and put it in a safe under his bed before the two boys walked in the kitchen.

"Did you have any problems?" Inquired the red head opening the fridge. He glanced shortly at him before grabbing two cans of juice and sat down at the table opposite from Rai.

"Nah! You know me dude, nobody can catch the Phantom!"

Jack laughed. "I've heard that so many times and not only from you! Besides, I was referring to the gears to be honest!"

"Oh…well, everything went smoothly! You're really awesome man, y'know that!"

"Hell yeah! Jack Spicer, the genius boy is the best!" They exchanged a high-five and continued to chat about meaningless things. Rai also brought up the fact that they would have to return the sword back to its owner somehow. He ignored some of his friend's crazy ideas but that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge them somehow.

In the end, Rai went in the bedroom to catch some sleep leaving Jack alone to work on upgrading his computer. Usually his friend was exhausted after one of Phantom's strikes so right after coming home he would crash in his bed and doze off till the next day. He slightly chuckled before remembering that some of the times, Rai would come back injured and Jack felt relieved that this time he only received some light bruises. The techno geek sighed and banished all his troubling thoughts, concentrating once again on his matter at hand.

**-.-**

Kimiko stirred at the sudden shift of the ground beneath her. It out of the blue fell downwards, causing a chill of fear to swell in her chest, the like one feels when gravity pulls him or her to the ground in midflight. She gasped and jolted up, her sapphire eyes widened and alert only to be blinded by the strong light coming through the window.

The black haired woman groaned, shutting closely her eyes and trying to block the flashy points appearing on her eyelids. She rubbed them before blinking rapidly and her vision finally started to adjust to the lighting. She was in her bed, she realized, but the reason of her disturbance was standing just a bit on her left side…and it didn't look happy.

"Keiko…?" The girl continued to glare completely ignoring her friend's baffled question. But Kimiko somehow knew she was the cause of her irritation and it quickly downed on her why it was. "Oh, Keiko…I'm so sorry…"

The heiress stood up on her bed, throwing the blanket off of her body and moved closer to Keiko. The one in question kept her angry demeanor and only narrowed her amethyst eyes in return. Kimiko sighed running a hand through her messy hair.

"Look, I was really tired! I'm sorry I made you worry so much but…I had some things on my mind back then…" her voice trailed off as she once again thought about her chat with Phantom. It still came so easily to her mind to remember about him even after that hard night and even after being as exhausted as she was when she returned.

"So how was he?"

Kimiko flinched slightly hearing Keiko. She didn't realize she was so lost in thought but from her friend's curious and still impatiently irritated tone Kimiko grasped the fact Keiko noticed. The girl shook her head banishing any reflections about Phantom and returned her full attention to her black haired friend.

"He's good! That much I can tell you!"

Keiko nodded slowly and sat up without a another word. She walked out of the room while Kimiko sighed downhearted. The black haired girl followed and found her friend sitting at the counter in the kitchen making some coffee. She took a breath and stepped beside her.

"Kimiko, don't worry! I'm not mad!" Keiko tilted her head in her direction, a small smile playing on her rose lips as a few straight black strands of hair fell over her shoulders. "It has just become a habit for me and I felt so freaked out when I didn't get anything from you…Am I overreacting?"

Kimiko chuckled pulling the her best friend in a hug. "Maybe just a little!"

The two shared an understanding look before Kimiko went to get two cups for the coffee and they both settled on the sofa in the living. The sun shone brightly through the glass wall of the apartment covering the room in a warm golden glow. The two women stood cross legged on the fluffy cushions facing each other, the two mugs down in their laps occasionally being lifted for a sip.

Seeing as it was Kimiko's free day, the two best friends decided to spend the most part of the day indoors and talking about the latest news, which were of course the last night's events. Kimiko could finally relinquish her confusing trepidation concerning her new charge which was welcomed by Keiko's grinning face.

At Kimiko's confused glance she said amusedly. "You went for him in a big way!"

The Japanese heiress barely kept herself from spilling the coffee all over the other's face. "W-What are talking about? Is just that, that…thief seems very different than any villain I've ever met!"

Keiko couldn't help but nod. "True! He is a mystery…But why does that make him different from the others? I mean, you just saw him once and you already believe he's too good for you?"

"I've never said that!" Kimiko said boldly. "I said I don't have a good feeling about this?"

"Really? Because it sounded more like a whine for me!"

"I'm not whining and I'm not complaining either! I don't care who the hell he think he is, I'll get this guy if it's the last thing I'll do!"

Keiko smiled pleased. "That's the way, Kimi-girl!"

The blue eyed woman shook her head although she was smiling and sat up going to pour herself another cup of coffee. "I can't believe you did that!...On second thought, I do believe!"

Keiko smirked locking her amethyst orbs on the city behind the window wall. "You know me too well!"

As Kimiko plopped back on the sofa she followed her friend's gaze and they both stared in silence at the awakened city for a while. A sudden ringing made them jump in surprise and Kimiko quickly went to the source. She flipped open her cell phone and answered slipping back between the cushions.

"Hello! … Oh, hy Clay! How's the investigation going?" Keiko frowned when her friend frowned at whatever Clay told her. "Do you want me to drop by? ... Che! I swear he's like a spoiled brat! ... Huh! Seven is alright, then? … Ok! Fine, see you two there! Bye!"

"What is it?"

The sapphire eyed girl offered Keiko a strain smile. "Beside the searching patrol not finding anything useful, Mister Hogai is giving hell to everyone at the section. Oh…and Clay and Omi want to meet with us at seven in the park! To talk!"

Keiko rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they just want to get rid of the guy's annoying rants. Poor them!"

The girls laughed before they chose to watch the TV to pass time. It was just around twelve when they decided to make a quick lunch and then just talk some more, the whole Phantom thing forgotten for the moment. It was a typical Saturday after all!

**-.-**

The evening air crept silently beyond the window. A gentle wind started sweeping between the enormous buildings caring the summer need of going outdoors. The sun rolled on the other side of the sky barely visible from Kimiko's apartment and leaving her lounge to be succumbed in a refreshing coldness.

The girls fast got dressed and before they knew it they were in the car and speeding toward their usual meeting place. The traffic wasn't as free as it would have been though, because it was a Saturday night and that meant fun for the weekend. So when they stopped, the clock was five minutes past seven.

The duo walked on the alleyways of the park admiring the beautiful nature surrounding them when up ahead, a tall figure appeared waving. Apparently he was standing on the bench so the girls joined him and his companion. Kimiko hugged them both friendlily before taking a step back and continuing walking.

Clay and Omi followed her and Keiko knowing the best talks for them were happening while walking. As expected Keiko started by telling about her friend's 'close call' which only led to another heated argument between the girls. When the boys succeeded to split them apart, Kimiko took her chance to relate how her mission went.

"The way ah see it, this fellow is gonna be some major problem! Ya'd better watch yer back Kim!"

The one in question rolled her eyes, smiling slightly at her friend's over protectiveness. "C'mon Clay! I'll be just fine!"

"Kimiko please! I've heard many things about this Phantom and he's not to be taken lightly!" spoke Omi from beside Keiko.

Keiko on the other hand sighed throwing her head backwards. "Come on you two, Kimiko was like this in the morning as well and it was me who lifted up her mood. Please don't make her go down there again!"

Omi shrugged in defeat but Clay continued to give them weird looks. Kimiko cleared her throat trying to banish the awkwardness of the situation and added in a lighter tone. "I promise I'll be careful, okay? Whoever this guy is he has no idea what he has gotten himself into!"

"That's my girl!" Keiko playfully lent on her shoulder and gave the two boys an 'I told you she has everything covered' kind of look.

Eventually the group came across an empty bench facing the koi fish pond and stood down admiring the colorful creatures swimming elegantly through the crystal clear water. The sky darkened, passing from a soft baby blue to a mysterious dark azure in a matter of seconds and then into tar black.

The stars slowly filled the barrenness of the heavens, the shiny dots illuminated with the city lights along with the axe shaped pale moon. About an hour later the four friends agreed to go back home and rest until something new would appear concerning their case. Kimiko very much doubted it and if Phantom indeed would keep his word and return the sword than everything would get back to normal without the help of the police.

She shrugged off the whole thing as she drove back to her apartment. Her father was gone for a couple of weeks for some business travel around Europe so she was left with the entire building for herself. Not that she had to take care of the family business herself, her father has left strict instructions to his assistant and employees for it. She was only to keep an eye on them.

As she entered her room, Kimiko found everything engulfed in the darkness of the night. Flicking open the light she discarded her purse and shoes, before entering her bedroom and preparing for a good sleep.

The next day, Kimiko was greeted by an emergency call from Clay. It seemed Phantom has returned the sword right before Mr. Hogai could embark the plane…literally. The sword appeared to have been shot like an arrow just when the millionaire put his foot inside the plane. It missed his head by inches and created a true havoc all over the place which he was sure the thief used to his full advantage.

Kimiko really wished she could have been there, if not to catch Phantom then to watch the man's priceless face when everything happened. That Sunday she did go to work. But her efforts were in vain anyway, because they didn't find anything. Kimiko could only think that Phantom was definitely a phantom and leave it at that until they could find more clues about the mysterious thief.


	3. Playing

**So sorry for the **_**loooong **_**wait. My computer has been acting weird recently, it kept closing and/or not opening and my dad had to take it to get fix twice, after, of course, he tried and couldn't do anything. Not only that but, he had to install the windows two times so everything was deleted. Lucky I have my own cute, little, laptop ( with no Internet connection, but still :) ).**

**Anyway, another reason for not posting anything was because I have a new Beta, (well, not **_**new **_**per se, this would be the first time). She is sunnysmiles97 and this chapter, apparently (^_^), passed her inspection. Hope it'll pass yours too!**

**Playing**

The next three days were quiet. Nothing happened that could concern Kimiko leaving her to rummage through old stuff about Phantom with nothing going as far as she would want. Everything led her to a dead end and she found herself on more than one occasions with her concentration slip and her eyes staring into empty space.

During one of this occasions she completely abandoned her work and stormed out of her room deciding to get some fresh air and maybe find something to take her mind off those things. She considered restarting her old martial arts lessons at the gym but it has been such a long time ago that she doubted her old teacher even knew her anymore.

Albeit, she gave it a shot. The gym wasn't far from her place so she might as well pay them a visit at least to see the program. She walked on foot there hoping to clear her mind as well as breath some air. It did work and when she reached her destination she found the building just as she remembered.

The small yellow stairs with the metal hand rails on both side leading to a double glass door. On the sides of the doors were windows covered with violet curtains on the inside that were half way drawn letting a small beam of light in the training rooms. She opened the doors hearing a gentle chink as the bells on top of it hit each other softly. The woman at a desk on the other side looked up from her papers and smiled brightly at her.

Kimiko walked forward passing some chairs and a small table taking in the new stylish and calming effect of the décor. Everything was in brown, yellow, red or different shades of them mixed harmoniously together to create an environment refreshing to the mind and body. There were a few bonsai trees around and bamboos sticks on the walls right above a round brown sofa and opposite to a tree almost as tall as her. Kimiko didn't know what species it was but she could care less about it as she made her way to the front desk.

"Can I help you with something, miss?" she asked politely.

Kimiko glanced quickly at her; black hair tied in a bun with two crossed sticks, turtle neck, sleeveless red Chinese style shirt and a wide smile on her smooth face. She didn't have any jewels and she could make out a thin layer of powder on her cheeks and the inconspicuous lipstick on her lips. Yep! She was knew here, and very recently hired too!

"Is Nishimura-san here? I would like to talk to him." She answered just as politely.

The woman shook her head, her smile fading slightly as she thought. "I think he left for Osaka a few weeks ago. But if you are looking forward to the martial arts lessons you can talk with our new teacher. He came ten minutes ago so I'm pretty sure he's practicing right now!"

Kimiko nodded and the woman pointed to a shoji door on her left. She followed her direction and slowly slid open the paper doors peeking in only to find the room empty. She stepped inside watching the dojo like chamber provided with mirrors on two sides while the violet curtains protected the interior from the sun. The walls were a peach orange color and the soft shade of the violet drapes worked wonderfully in contrast with it as it gave the room a balance between luminosity and dimness.

"Do you need some help?"

The sudden voice snapped Kimiko out of her mental designing and faster than anyone thought possible she swirled toward the source finding the teacher she was looking for. Standing a few feet away from her in front of a door that most likely led to the lockers was a brown haired man with emerald green eyes that she found quite remarkable in that light.

"Are you the martial arts teacher around here?"

His confused and – was that worried? - gaze suddenly turned into an understanding one and he smile extending his hand. "That would be me! I'm Raimundo Pedrosa and you are…"

Kimiko took his hand and shook it once as she answered. "Kimiko Tohomiko!"

He arched an amused eyebrow. "Well, what can I do for you, Miss Tohomiko?"

Not comprehending his amusement, Kimiko crossed her arms as she surveyed once again the room. "I was thinking of resuming my training."

"Resuming as in…"

"I trained before with Nishimura-san. Did you meet him?"

She watched Raimundo shook his head while placing a bottle of water and a towel on a small shelf beneath the window. "Not really. I came here a week or so after he left. Heard he's a good teacher though!"

"Yeah…So what about you?"

He shrugged facing her again. "Wanna find out?"

Kimiko smirked taking off her thin jacket and putting it beside Raimundo's items. They both moved toward the centre of the room falling into battle stances while keeping their eyes on each other and smiling confidently.

"The lady first!"

Kimiko huffed rolling her eyes. "Your manners astound me!"

"You don't know anything about me so you might be surprise of what you find out!"

Unfortunately Kimiko blocked him out when she started to run at him. She aimed her fist at his face which Rai easily sidestepped spinning around her and coming with a low sweep kick at her legs. Kimiko jumped over it continuing with a flip and a roundhouse kick even though Rai smirked at her as if she just made a big mistake. He caught her ankle with his right and slid beneath her with a twist thrusting his left fist in her stomach.

Kimiko grunted falling backwards but she managed to catch herself before she hit the floor and jumped back on her feet reflexively stopping a punch with her forearm as it came for her face. She leant on her back letting the other fist pass over her and rolled on the ground avoiding what would have been a painful knee to gut collision.

She stood up bending her knees and positioning her arms in a defense stance preparing for Raimundo's assault. He unleashed a chain of punches and kicks, moving swiftly from one to another with a speed far greater than what Kimiko expected. He kept pushing her back and her moves started to slip becoming desperate as she worked her body to blend in with the constant assault.

Raimundo locked his hand around her wrist and pulled her toward him without letting go successfully knocking her feet from the ground and dropping her painfully on the back with a flick of his hand. He stood above her crossing her arms and smirked cockily at her position.

"How's that for a lesson?"

Kimiko scowled and tried to sit up although it seemed like she was lifting a wall of bricks. "A lesson in humiliation?"

"Guess you can call it like that." He extended his hand and helped her stand up. She painfully rubbed her back as he led her toward a wall and sat down cross legged. "Does it hurt that bad? I didn't mean to be harsh, alright?"

"Y'know, it's okay! I think I deserve it for not doing my work."

He chuckled massaging lightly her shoulder and received a wince from her. "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"So, what's this job of yours?" Rai asked grinning knowing the girl couldn't see him. "It's putting a lot of stress on you!"

"Well…I'm not supposed to tell you…" The black haired woman hesitated shrugging off his hands and turned to face him. "But do you want to teach me some things?"

He looked surprised at her determined face. "O-kay! Sure!...Are you changing the subject?" He asked in a serious tone.

Kimiko snickered punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

"Don't cha wanna tell me at lunch?"

The girl frowned. "Lunch?"

Rai smiled reaching for the water. "I know a nice place down the street. What do you say?"

"Sounds good!" She accepted the bottle when he was done drinking and she took a sip before sitting up flexing her shoulders.

"Let's go then!"

Rai took her jacket and they left the room. Passing by the front desk they waved at the nice woman who helped Kimiko, and Raimundo told her he would be back in an hour or so before they stepped out on the street to get something to eat.

**-.-**

The door swung open letting the light from the corridor creep in the darkened room. Raimundo entered closing it behind him as he switched on the lights. The apartment was small with a kitchen and lounge combined, a bathroom and a bedroom. The walls were painted a pale yellow and the floor was made of a soft wood with only a brown rug underneath the sofa and the table.

It was the only thing Rai agreed to purchase ever since he became Phantom and that was only from his first strike. He refused to let his mind be controlled by the human greed and he didn't want his friend to do that either. Even if Jack sometimes threw a fit because of his choices, Rai knew he wasn't mad with him. It was only the disappointment and love for technology talking for him. He knew Jack could survive fairly well without them. The red head was one of the most inventive persons he has ever met after all.

His feet lightly stepped on the floor without a sound and he threw the bag on a chair with a sigh. The lunch with Kimiko went great in his opinion and he even managed to talk some things out of her. Of course there were things he already knew but that didn't stop him from faking being impressed or revolted. He was such an amazing actor after all!

Beside already known things, he found out the police was stuck. And that brought a warm feeling to spread in his body, feeling that he realized it was pride. He had to admit he was good when it came to not leaving traces, but his luck could always turn against him. It wasn't the whole 'He's a pro and that's why we can't catch him' thing, it was just that Rai looked at it as a more fate related thing.

Anything could have gone wrong when he returned the sword. Someone could have looked up and saw him aiming for the plane or an employee of the airport could have come on the roof to check this or that. It was not about being a professional because Raimundo didn't consider himself that…However he didn't mind showing off a bit. Put a confident image and look as if you know what you're doing and bang! You're the most dangerous thing in their eyes!

He smiled. It was kinda good to be in the centre of attention…but it was much more easy when he was wearing that mask.

With a sigh he dropped down on the sofa placing his head on a cushion and just laid there motionless. He kept thinking about Kimiko and how ironic the entire situation was. After all she has just had lunch with the enemy even if she had no idea. He also wanted to see her and talk to her again which wasn't that hard since he agreed to be her _sensei_ from now on.

Again, the fate's cruel irony!

But that wasn't the cause of his widening grin. Closing and opening his emerald eyes, Rai turned on his back watching the ceiling as a plan hatched in his mind. Another encounter would be very welcomed in his free agenda but he was thinking of something more…troubling!

**-.-**

The next morning, Kimiko woke up early and swiftly dressed in her uniform. She prepared herself a modest breakfast and right after, she went down toward the garage as per usual. Only this time, her father's secretary stopped her before she entered the elevator in order to give her something.

That something consisted in a letter.

Kimiko checked the envelope without finding anything special beside the imprinted letters with her name which raised suspicions in her head. She slowly opened and pulled out only a white sheet of paper. The message written was also imprinted and it was made of a few lines:

_I'm very surprised you have chosen to open an anonymous letter like this one Miss Tohomiko,_

_but I might as well say you already know who I am since we have had quite an _explosive_ meeting a few days ago._

_What I want to ask you is if you accept my invitation to the Tokyo National Museum, tonight at twelve in the Toyokan building._

_I just want to talk to you and I can assure you I don't have any bad intentions…unless you come of course._

_I would prefer you keep this between us so please do not announce anybody else!_

_Phantom_

Kimiko gapped like a fish at the signed name, not believing that the thief she was supposed to catch would offer himself just like that. She stood still for a second trying to wrap her mind around the idea of the letter. Phantom wanted her to meet him in the middle of the night - and - in a public building nonetheless.

She must have been looking ridiculous because the assistant asked her if she needed anything. Kimiko refused flustered and continued on her way to the car. The paper suffered the merciless wrath of her fists as it was crumbled and ripped into pieces then promptly thrown in a trash can. The trepidation she felt a second ago vanished just as quickly, being completely swallowed by the evergrowing anger.

The rage didn't vanish on the way to the police station though and it made her remarks a tiny bit harsher than she had intended. The fact didn't go unnoticed by the others so they agreed upon leaving the heiress on her own in order to cool off. Everyone believed she must have felt angry that someone actually escaped her which wasn't that far from the truth and Kimiko decided to leave it at that. She was in no mood of explaining herself to her coworkers.

But no matter what she was doing the letter kept its place in her mind. It completely trashed her concentration and made her stare blankly into space. She only read it once but still, each word was perfectly engraved in her mind so the letter continued to play itself on and on.

By that afternoon, Kimiko gave up on her work seeing as it was pointless to have something done. The anger also melted away, its place being taken by uncertainty. She felt conflicted between announcing her friends or going there on her own. But he said he wasn't going to do anything illegal (beside sneaking in) and that's what bothered her so much. Maybe if she could keep him inside for a while she would effectively be able to get some information and catch him at the same time.

He proved to be a tricky character but it didn't mean she couldn't play the same game. A new spark of determination ignited in her and when she left work she knew what she had to do.


	4. Fleeing

**So very sorry of the long wait, I've just had a bit of a misunderstanding with my Beta. Looked like we were both expecting something that simply wouldn't come, hehe...technical stuff...:)**

**Anyhow, the deed is done and here is the next chapter. Things are picking up...Kim just has the habit of getting into trouble, right? If you're curious, read and find out below. Have a good day dudes and dudettes!**

* * *

><p><strong>Fleeing<strong>

The Tokyo National Museum was the oldest and largest museum in Japan. It collected, housed, and preserved a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects from Asia, focusing on the country of its origin. The museum included five buildings, one of which was closed for renovation and it just so happened to be the Toyokan building, the place where Kimiko was to meet her criminal.

The Japanese Gallery or Honkan was the most important construction and the first one to see once you entered the gates. In the dim, shadowy light of the moon and stars the construction loomed over the small stone bordered lake, its dark and curved rooftops eclipsing the entrance and the intricate design shaping the outer walls.

Kimiko moved swiftly on the paved alleys making sure to stand near a tree or a bush in case there were guards patrolling. She chose to dress in black and, even if it constantly reminded her of a thief, she was smart enough to know that such a color made it easier to sneak around, not to mention she did it for a good reason too.

The Toyokan Gallery featured Eastern art, possessing collections coming from China, Korea, India, Egypt, Cambodia, Iran and Turkey. Momentarily being out of commission made the large three stories edifice not very guarded and Kimiko thanked Kami for offering her a trouble-free way in.

Using the emergency stairs, Kimiko silently crept in finding the whole assembly dark and empty on the most part. The halls were tall and complicated spreading with secondary corridors over the three floors while around the flight of stairs stood thick pillars like the ones suspending the sides of the museum.

Kimiko had no idea where she was going so she settled on heading downstairs and wait in front of the main doors. She checked her watch to see she came five minutes earlier and fixed her jacket nervously. Her hand moved on her lower back feeling the gun she had brought with her but it did nothing to calm her speeding heart. If not, her trepidation grew even more knowing it was there.

Her head whipped from side to side as she stood glued to the wall hoping to get a glimpse of Phantom. She thought about calling out to him but in such a huge place her voice would have given incredibly loud echoes. So she resolved on waiting.

She looked at her watch again; three minutes till midnight.

Her head hit the wall with a frustrated sigh that continued to reverberate through the halls for a few more seconds. She began tapping her foot in order to release some stress. It worked for a while but then it started to get tiring. She stopped but the sound continued.

It took Kimiko several seconds to realize it wasn't a resound but footsteps. For a moment she panicked, moving closer to the wall behind her until a soft chuckle broke her tense emotions and her eyes narrowed. She stepped away from it, squinting her eyes to see in the darkness. The footsteps stopped but there was still no movement around her.

When she had enough Kimiko finally snapped. "Will you come out or are you planning on doing this all night?" She spoke barely keeping her voice above a whisper.

An amused huff followed her words and not a moment later a slender figure emerged in the soft light falling through the glassy doors. "Such a serious person, Miss Tohomiko!" He said earning a glare from the raven haired woman.

Kimiko gazed darkly at Phantom's smirking face, still straining to see despite the moonlight. She could make out the white slits of the mask without difficulty and even if she had seen them before it gave her chills in spite of everything.

She mentally shook her head coming back to the matter at hand. "Why did you call me here?"

Phantom nonchalantly stuck his hands in his pockets, the smirk never faltering at her straightforward attitude. "Why I just wanted to know you better." He revealed with a playful tilt of his head. "Though, I'm quite surprised you came here all on your own."

"Wasn't that what you wanted?" For some reason, Kimiko couldn't help watch the way his coffee, messy hair hanged in his face so carelessly yet in such a neat manner. And being highlighted by the moon rays didn't help get her attention from it.

"Maybe!"

The young woman had to make a double take to understand what he has just said and she frowned as his reply sunk in.

"You mean you wanted to have a trail of police cars after you? Because that could very well happen."

Phantom, if possible, smiled wider. "And what excuse do you have?" He asked casually stepping closer to her.

Kimiko stayed still in her place watching him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What would be the reason of your presence in a museum, in the middle of the night, with a 'criminal' moreover?" He softly uttered coming a few feet in front of Kimiko.

The woman's stunned blue eyes changed into a ferocious glare and she strongly walked in his face. "You sent me a note – "

"And you withheld such important information from your superiors and everyone else for that matter." The brunette interrupted in a grave tone.

He wasn't smiling anymore, mainly because the woman in front of him retained a disturbingly petrified expression. He could easily identify the conflicting emotions swelling inside her through her azure eyes and he sensed an acute guilt forming in his gut too. He didn't exactly have a plan of how this night would go but heading on the present road seemed to be the wrong choice.

"Let's just forget about that!" He finally said causing the woman to flinch in surprise.

"W-What?"

Phantom had to smile at her bewildered look. He had to admit the young heiress appeared completely stunning in the light; with her silky black hair framing her white oval face, the shadows playing on her tiny nose and around her rosy lips and mostly the pale rays reflecting in her gorgeous sapphire orbs. Being so close to her made him feel out of this world; it made him feel at peace and jubilant…and weak.

"Did you say forget about it?"

Phantom blinked behind his mask as Kimiko's voice penetrated the air around him. "Yeah! I'm not gonna hold it against you. Actually, I didn't even want to go in that subject. As I said, I wish to know you better. That's all."

Kimiko didn't believe him and he knew it. But she stepped back after realizing their close proximity and cleared her throat, feeling somehow awkward about not becoming conscious of it.

"So you're saying you want me to tell you things about me?"

He nodded hesitantly finally grasping how ridiculous his request sounded and decided about an exchange. "I can tell you things about me too."

Kimiko gave him a strain smile placing her hands on her hips. "Are you gonna tell me about your next robbery? Or how much money you've made so far? Or throw me a soppy story about you early life that pushed you to become a thief? How your dreams got crushed and you decided to see other people failing in misery because _you_ had to?" She asked in a bitter-mocking tone.

The resound ceased only to be replaced by a tense silence. Both of them firmly stood their ground gazing at each other with a determined will. Kimiko held her head high, eyes narrowed angrily and releasing tides of frustration and antipathy. Phantom on the other hand was more reserved. He didn't show any sign of emotion beside his rigid body.

"I thought we had this solved back at Mr. Hogai's corporation." Phantom finally muttered. His low voice though didn't hide the hints of anger and sorrow and Kimiko had to use every ounce of her being not to look away or apologize. Nevertheless she felt a little culpable for blowing up in his face but she had to keep in mind that he was a lawbreaker no matter what.

"Why are you doing what you are doing then?" She demanded quietly.

"Because others never had the chance to even lay eyes on such fortunes." He expressed forlornly. "Because there are thousands of innocents out there who wished that for a moment…they could have a better life, the life that many gain on dishonourable ways and no one cares." His acrid laugh shook the young woman to her very core. She instinctively leaned back and her eyes filled with regret. "This world is more than cruel to some but the majority chooses not to give a damn. They may try and try but they can't even come close to understand the pain others are feeling…until they feel it themselves."

He looked up in her direction watching the result of his words. The woman was staring at the floor, shoulders hunched and black bangs covering her eyes. He then spoke in a gentler way fighting the urge to go and comfort her. "I'm not sorry for what I'm doing Kimiko. I just found it the only way to get over."

Another hush descended upon them, this time though the tension was gone. They didn't say another word for a few minutes until Kimiko mumbled something that caught the young man's attention in an unpleasant way.

"I-It's nothing! Really!"

"So…do you want to walk?" Kimiko bit her lip sensing the unease growing in her mind. She now knew she blamed him on unfair grounds…almost shouting at him for things she made up. She couldn't accuse him of finding her insufferable. And the things he told her…She also knew they were real but like he said, she didn't give a damn, until now.

"Let's go on the roof!"

Kimiko looked up to find Phantom already at the stairs. She ran up to him and they both ascended in quiet. When they reached the top however, a sound they both knew from different experiences rose all around them. The white light of the moon dissolved under the red and blue beams of the police cars parked outside as people ran around carrying guns and megaphones. The two froze and slowly turned to look at each other.

Kimiko shook her head gaping like a fish at Phantom. "I-I-I didn't – "

"FREEZE!"

The doors broke down and the armed men rushed in aiming their guns at the two. Kimiko felt the blood drain from her face as she examined the faces of her co-workers. They looked shocked and confused too but they tried to hide it under stretched arms and glares.

"Surrender! Both of you!" Yelled someone in the front. Kimiko recognized him as Chase Young, the mentor that guided her in the beginning of her carrier.

He watched her with a serious glare, no trace of his usual sarcasm and care, affecting the young woman's mind in a way her legs almost gave away. Phantom inconspicuously placed a hand on her back ready to grab her if she fell and bolt in the opposite direction. Before he could do it yet, the man was speaking again.

"You are under arrest! Surrender now or we'll be forced to use violence."

Phantom snorted letting a sly smile spread on his lips. "You already did that when you destroyed the door of one of Tokyo's most prestigious 'vessels of history'."

Before Chase could say anything else, Phantom dragged Kimiko over the fence of the stairs and out of the policemen's sights. He heard various shouts, one of them coming from the girl he was gripping in his arm, but he ignored them running hastily through the corridors. Their followers were right behind them so Phantom switched direction aiming for the stairs. Kimiko could finally bring some feeling in her legs and run on her own, but the young thief didn't break the hold he had on her.

"Where are we going?" She managed to scream over the loud pounding in her ears.

Phantom only sped up when a gunshot rang in the air. "We gotta find an exit." He simply stated.

Kimiko glanced around her. They were on a hallway facing the park but beyond the windows she couldn't see any tree they could climb. Their only solution would have been to use the pillars and go down but it could take some time. And Phantom seemed to have thought about that too seeing as he didn't slow down a bit. On the contrary, he hurried to go to the roof for some reason.

"Phantom?"

"Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" He reassured her with a smile; a genuine smile that she felt it cut through her confusion and fear and slightly calmed her down.

Phantom almost flew over the last set of stairs and before Kimiko knew it they were in the attic. A few big boxes were scattered here and there, and there were some small show cases too. The floor was dusty and there were only several small windows on the walls. Phantom went to open one, releasing Kimiko at the same time. The young woman followed him curious about his intentions.

"So how are gonna get out of here? Because if you ask me we had a better chance with the front door."

The young man continued to analyze the ground from his spot while answering her. "This place is surrounded. We had no chance to succeed using the front door or the emergency stairs or the windows or the pillars. We needed a better view of what we're dealing with. Come!" He motioned for her to get closer and take a look outside.

The backyard of the building was patrolled by dozens of cops holding flashlights and beyond them was the wall that separated the museum from the rest of the Ueno Park. Around the fence though, Kimiko noticed many trees growing on both sides but with a quick equation she drew the conclusion that the distance was far too large for them to jump without breaking something, preferably the neck.

"It's impossible." She declared.

The shouts from the stairs came closer along with heavy footsteps.

"You forget who I am." Phantom smirked arrogantly at her.

The commotion stopped making Kimiko look at the entrance of the attic.

"So you got a plan?" She tore her eyes from the door and at the brunet.

"Always have!" Kimiko threw him a 'yeah right' face along with a raised eyebrow. "Ok! _Maybe_ always…almost never…But I'm good at acting!"

"That's true I guess!"

Phantom reached in his belt and drew out a short solid black rod. By now, they could make out whispers right at the feet of the stairs and Kimiko silently urged the thief to move faster. The rod broke into several hangers and Phantom quickly detached a long wire from a side pocket that he tied to the grappling hook. He took a deep breath measuring the distance to the closest tree and started swinging the hook like a lasso with his hand.

"Here we go!" He sighed with resolve.

"Let's go faster please!" Muttered the young woman by his side nervously.

Phantom swung the hook a few more times becoming stronger and faster with every movement and eventually released it watching it fly over the policemen's head invisibly and attached itself to a thick branch of a tree. Phantom smiled tugging the wire and see if it would hold before grabbing Kimiko by her waist and hitting the retraction button right when the law men entered the attic.

They could see the duo's backs as they leaped outside the window and only stare wide eyed open. Once out of shock, they all gathered at the window and were met by the disorder of the men out in the backyard along with two smirking persons standing on the wall. They both waved, Kimiko more tentatively, and jumped on the other side. Chase Young growled and yelled a few orders and his whole team scattered going for the stairs again as he shot one last hateful glance at the spot where the pair vanished.

Meanwhile, Phantom grasped Kimiko's arm in his hand again and ran on the alleys at top speed with her in tow. He ignored the girl's complains and continued to move taking notice of their pursuers and the barking dogs on their tails. A few more minutes and they were out of the park and into the streets of Tokyo. Phantom moved on the narrow paths between buildings but didn't stop his quick pace. He checked his watch from second to second and finally stopped in a more reclusive street closer to the main road.

"Ok, so now I'm a fugitive. This is just great! And I had such a beautiful future in front of me but _no_…"

Phantom tuned out the young woman as he looked around him. Checking his wristwatch again he huffed annoyed until a set of blinding lights shot in his face. He narrowed his eyes dragging Kimiko behind a dumpster and covered her mouth. The sounds of the police cars were drawing closer to them and once he took a good look at the vehicle parked beside him, the thief jumped to his feet.

"Come on!" He said with a bit of relief shining in his voice.

"What's going on?"

Kimiko glared at him but couldn't do more as she was suddenly tossed in the car. Phantom took the seat beside her and told the driver to go. Once the vehicle was on the road again, Phantom shrunk in his seat breathing deeply in and out. Kimiko eyed him suspiciously keeping her body tense and ready to defend herself. She remembered about the gun and tried to reach for it but she found nothing.

"Don't worry 'bout that." Phantom told her smiling. "I took it from you when we were running."

Kimiko gapped at him and Phantom chuckled. From the front seats, the driver shook his head. Kimiko let the subject go and turned her eyes to the new addition. From what she could see of him he had red hair and wore a pair of yellow goggles on his forehead that kept it from falling in his eyes…his red eyes. He was wearing a long black trench coat _and_ had dark eyeliner around his eyes.

"Who are you?" She tried composing her voice to sound as hard as steel but the anxiety had to make itself known some way or another.

Before the red head could say something Phantom beat him to it. "He's Jack Spicer, my friend."

Jack scowled. "Alright! Why don't you tell her your name too if you're feeling so generous."

Phantom winced at the sour tone of his lifelong best friend. "I guess I own her that much. After all, it's my fault you're in this situation." He stated gazing in Kimiko's blue eyes.

The young woman mustered an angry look. "Yes, you do! So where are we going anyway?"

"We're going at our place." Replied Jack steering the wheel. "It's outside of Tokyo and hopefully we'll be safe there for a while…as long as Miss Tohomiko stays inside." He added with a serious look at the young woman.

Kimiko nodded and the rest of the ride was spent in silence with Jack's occasional compliments to the other drivers whereas he tried in getting out of city as fast as possible. Nevertheless, the black haired woman soon fell asleep with her head unconsciously propped on Phantom's shoulder.


	5. Adapting

**Adapting**

Kimiko began to stir out of her slumber around noon. She groggily opened her eyes and blinked rapidly to clear the stars from her vision. A yawn escaped her lips and she couldn't stop stretching - out of habit - her arms and back as she rubbed the sleep away. She slowly sat up throwing off the red and green covers of the bed and put her bare feet on the floor. It felt very cold on her skin but Kimiko pushed the feeling away and looked around her.

She wasn't in her room or any other room she would recognize. She felt like panicking for a minute but then pieces and bits of last night swam in her head. And she remembered she left with Phantom and his accomplice.

She glance around the room finding it empty with the exception of the two beds and a wooden desk on which there were dozens of sheets of paper, a small disassembled computer and other metal contraptions. She made her way towards them and peeked around curiously. The pieces of paper were filled with messy handwriting, diagrams, tables, many equations and…pudding? Kimiko shook her head with a grimace and turned her eyes at the portable computer. It was completely knocked down as if someone wanted to put it back together but abandoned it half way.

The young woman vaguely wondered if these belonged to that red haired man, Jack Spicer if she wasn't wrong. She switched her attention away from the desk and saw on the chair beside it her black jacket. She did a double take and checked her clothes finding everything alright besides her shoes which were near the bedside.

She put them on and walked to the door opening it discretely. The first thing she saw was the small kitchen. There were a few cupboards, a gas cooker, a fridge and in front of them a table with chairs. She looked to her left and spotted the door on the other side.

She walked out of the bedroom wanting to know more about her location. What she didn't expect was the sofa around the corner and Jack sleeping on it. The TV was on, broadcasting the news of last night so Kimiko had to stop and listen to what it was saying.

"_It is known that the _Tokyo National Museum, _more exactly, the Asian Gallery has been broken into by some mysterious persons Thursday night around midnight. Nothing was taken and the Police arrived at the scene of crime after a call from a local witness. For the time being, the authorities haven't given any comments about the intruders or their whereabouts nor about their reason to force an entry in a closed, empty building. More about this incident will be discussed at the evening news though. Thank you."_

Kimiko sighed in relief hearing that the police didn't make out of her a criminal and accomplice of Phantom but she couldn't count on that for too long. She knew her friends would find out some way or another about her supposed 'betrayal' and they would be crushed. She was crushed by the thought herself but had no way out without giving away Phantom. And she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. That night in the museum she felt something about him. And she didn't understand why or how.

A click snapped her back to reality as well as woke up Jack. He groaned stretching until he caught sight of her and frowned. "You're already up?"

Kimiko nodded stiffly just as the door opened and she almost expected Phantom to come in. Instead she set eyes on brown hair and green eyes looking back at her surprised. The young woman felt her jaw drop to the floor causing a smirk to spread on his lips – _that_ smirk – and Jack to smile warily at the two.

"B-But you – you are…"

The young man sighed shaking his head and headed for the table dropping two shopping bags. "Yeah! It's me. Jack, can you sort through these things while we have a talk?"

The Goth genius jumped to his feet, the smile fading from his face and moved to the kitchen straightening his back. Rai meanwhile went back to the door and motioned for Kimiko to follow. She did slightly dazed by the new revelation. She didn't even pay attention to where she was going, only staring at the man's back as he walked and she tagged along.

They passed by many houses and some good ten minutes went by since they have left. Rai led her outside the village near a small forest where he stopped gazing at the sky through the gliding leaves of the trees. He heard Kimiko halt behind him but he couldn't bring himself to turn and look at her. He had no idea what to say or how to begin explaining her.

"Uh…I'm really sorry for getting you involved." He settled on for starters.

The black haired woman didn't say a word and he closed his eyes attempting to keep his cool. He turned in her direction and saw her looking down at her feet.

"Come on! Let's sit down." He tried again and Kimiko did as he said. She dropped near a tree still staring at the grass. He sat besides her making sure to let her have her personal space…and give himself a distance in case she would turn violent.

"I don't understand." Kimiko looked up with confused eyes. She avoided his look, gazing straight ahead. Her head shook from side to side slowly and her hands softly patted the grass beneath her. "I mean, I knew you were different from the first second I laid eyes on you, I knew you had some reasons for doing those illegal acts…but you…"

As her voice trailed on she suddenly stood up, her fist clenched still gripping the grass blades. She stood with her back at him and striving to hold back the feeling of sadness and treachery that overwhelmed her without notice. She had no idea why she even felt like that. She knew him for a short time yet she wanted nothing more than to look at him, stay close to him; like in the museum.

"I can't believe you manipulated me like that. I can't believe you played me on your fingers like a puppet. And for what?" She shouted angrily fighting her betrayed feelings. She harshly kicked a rock and it flew in a tree shaking it to its branches. "Argh! I'm so stupid!"

She continued to pace around the forest edge for several moments and when she calmed down, Kimiko glanced over her shoulder. Raimundo was still sitting down, watching the ground intently with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Well?" She barked throwing her hands down. "Say something."

The young man didn't even flinch under her stern gaze and ferocious snarl. He continued to gaze down at the ground, his eyes filled with something Kimiko couldn't put her finger on. When he shifted his eyes to her, they were devoid of any emotion.

"There were some events in my past that pushed me on this path." He spoke to her softly as he pushed himself up. "I never meant to harm you in the first place. Destiny just brought us together! I didn't know you used to train at that gym but that is the place where I work and I've been working for two and a half months."

"Why do you _work_?" Kimiko asked tiredly. The rage drained from her system for the moment and his words sparked her curiosity.

"I don't like to take advantage of Phantom's actions."

The raven haired woman frowned. "So you mean you have _always_ returned the relics that you stole?"

Rai let a sheepish, sly smile creep on his face. "Well, I did need money in the beginning…but that was only once!" He added the last part raising his hands defensively in front of him.

Kimiko scowled closing her eyes. "Alright, I'll let that one slide! Sorry for flaring up earlier too. I'm just a bottle of emotions right now and…Can I ask you something, Raimundo?"

"Call me Rai, and sure…Why not?"

"How was Phantom born?" She whispered watching carefully his sudden stiffness and hesitation. "You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable. I was merely curious."

Raimundo visibly relaxed. "Thanks, but I'm really not ready to talk about it."

"Does it have to do with what you said last night? That is the 'only way to get over'?" Kimiko asked again, closing the distance.

The Brazilian looked her in the eye and found nothing more than pure curiosity and concern. "Yeah, it has. It's more like a legacy truth to be told…" And then he knew he sparked her interest a bit too much. "We should go back. I'm sure you're hungry!"

Kimiko noticeably deflated but kept to herself anything else she wanted to say. She followed him back to the house this time making light conversation about the weather, the village, the kids running around, expertly avoiding anything near Phantom, last night and police.

"So what's for lunch?" Kimiko wondered aloud while entering the small house.

Raimundo shrugged going into the kitchen. He noticed Jack was in the bedroom working on the laptop and he also noticed he was too absorbed to pay any attention to them and that he was already harnessing his hunger with pudding, '_Big surprise!'_.

Kimiko came next to him. "I guess we have to prepare our own food. Let's see what we have." She confidently strolled to the fridge and took a look inside before closing it and checking in the cupboards. "What would you want to eat?"

Raimundo looked at her helplessly "Whatever you want."

"So you basically want me to cook." The young woman replied drily.

"Pretty much, yes! We're not exactly doing anything else beside eggs, rice and sometimes ramen."

"Then let me show you some real Japanese food." Kimiko smirked tucking up the sleeves of her shirt as she began taking out ingredients. Soon enough, the smell of cooking food filled the house and it finally caught Jack's attention.

"Is she cooking for us?"

"Yup!" Raimundo answered.

"Sounds good to me."

"Me too."

After a while, Kimiko placed three bowls of rice on the table, having glimpsed the red headed mechanic, and three bowls of miso soup along with some grilled fish and pickles. She grabbed three sets of chopsticks and sat down, followed by the two boys.

Clapping her hands together she voiced with a smile: "Itadakimasu!" before starting to eat. Raimundo and Jack did the same and they found themselves enjoying the meal along with the raven haired woman.

"Damn! This is so good, Tohomiko-san!" Jack said through the food in his mouth.

"I'd rather you call me Kimiko since it looks like I'll be staying here for a time." At that, Rai almost chocked with the rice but pulled himself together before anyone could note it.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" He asked.

Kimiko shook her head. "No idea. But we still have to know what the media knows and what the police are going to reveal about the break in. So that means we have to wait for the evening news."

Rai nodded guilt washing over him once again. He glanced outside on the window catching glimpses of the setting sun and wondered how did he managed to drag such a wonderful person into his mess. '_If only I wasn't so selfish. Why did I have to call her to such a dangerous location anyway? For a few stupid minutes of adrenaline? God, I'm a complete fool…'_

Jack took notice of his friend's distressed state and succeeded in distracting Kimiko by talking to her as he shook out of his stupor. He smiled thankfully at him. The brunette was obviously troubled by his conscience but Jack was relieved to know Raimundo could face it. They gathered the dishes in the sink and moved to the sofa. The T.V. buzzed to life and Jack flicked through the channels looking for the one he first watched. He found it but in the next second, he wished he didn't.

"_Tohomiko Kimiko, daughter of the rich business man, Tohomiko Toshiro has been reported missing and also an accomplice of the break in of the _Tokyo National Museum_. The police didn't give further information about the other person but they know the two must be hiding together. The citizens are obliged to report any sightings of – "_

The woman's words were cut short as the T.V. was shut down by a pissed off Raimundo. He stared blankly at the empty black screen as the darkness entered the house and the silence engulfed its inhabitants.

"I guess I'm officially a runaway!" Finally spoke Kimiko perplexedly.

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><p><strong>Other than expect quick updates I don't have anything else to say. This story wil be done soon, guys. :) See you in a few days!<strong>


	6. Persisting

**Persisting**

Kimiko felt detached from the world around her. Her surroundings were suddenly muffled to the point she feared she had lost her hearing but not even that got any reaction from her. She simply sat on the couch between Raimundo and Jack and stared blankly at the T.V. screen. The news report ended a while ago and the sky has already darkened. The room was thrown in blackness with only the television casting light on the couch and its three occupants.

Kimiko didn't care one bit what was on. She kept replaying again and again what she has heard the reporter say about the break in. She was a criminal, plain and simple. But the truth was far from that. And despite all that she cared most about was what her friends and her father would say about this.

Her papa, thankfully, was away in Europe and most likely wouldn't return for another month. Yet she still felt ashamed of herself if such facts would reach his ears. How would he take it? Would he come back? Would he be angry with her? Disappointed? Maybe even reject her for becoming what she swore to fight against; tell her she has failed…?

She shoved the question to the back of her mind before she could break out in tears. She already felt the stings in the corners of her eyes and hastily wiped them away before anyone noticed.

Keiko, her best friend, probably would support her but even if that was true she would still have her doubts. Until Kimiko could personally explain the situation her childhood friend would keep her position on the other side of the field and hope for the best.

Besides Keiko, who she had known since kindergarten, Clay and Omi were her most loyal friends. Clay, the huge teddy bear of their group, would never abandon his friends without a solid reason to while Omi would go to the end of the world for his precious ones. Hearing the news, Kimiko knew they would be torn; torn between trusting her and doing their jobs.

In the end she couldn't blame them. This was treason, only not for the reason they all thought.

The T.V. was turned off plunging the entire room into darkness. Kimiko vaguely noticed, too lost in her own mind, but when she felt a velvety material on her she looked up squinting her eyes to see in the dark.

"I thought a blanket would do you good for the night." She heard Raimundo whisper to her. "It tends to get cold around here."

She accepted the cover and wrapped it around her shoulders. She nodded thankfully at him, not trusting her voice and she saw him smile despite the almost nonexistent light. He walked away back in the bedroom after the deed was done.

"Goodnight!" He called before closing the door.

"Goodnight." Kimiko sighed. She curled up on the couch enveloped in the smooth, warm fabric and closed her eyes wishing for a dreamless sleep.

**-.-**

It has officially been a week since that fateful first meeting. The morning was the usual warm, sunny day of summer yet it didn't do any good in cheering up a certain ex-officer. If not Kimiko felt worse. The cold tranquility from the other night passed with the slumber and once she woke up she couldn't find the power to sit up. Instead, she lay on the sofa wrapped in her fluffy blanket and refused anything that Jack would offer her.

It was childish, yes, but what would anyone else do when their life crumbled and they fell in the pit of disappointment and shame? She wanted to cry so much, but something prevented her from doing it. She wanted to break down, rush back home and tell them everything, gain their respect and warmth back because she needed it…she needed _them_!

She closed her eyes, snuggling in the comfort the cover provided. It was cozy and secure but it lacked an essential element that she couldn't, for the life of it, place her finger on. She heard Jack's footsteps retreat back in the kitchen and the sound of a plate being put on the table. He muttered something that she was supposed to hear although she was sure the red head knew she wouldn't bother to listen.

A door shutting made her sigh. She stuffed her head in the pillow trying unsuccessfully to hide from whatever being was out to get her and pulled the duvet up to her nose. She breathed in, tasting the smell of her covers and curled into a ball. She was depressed and she felt the need to fill her sadness with something sweet.

Maybe Raimundo would remember to bring chocolate or something when he returned from Tokyo. He had the morning shift at the gym and would be back around noon. It was close to twelve if Jack leaving something for her on the table was any clue but she wanted him to come back faster. She wanted to talk to somebody and she didn't take the Goth boy as a very sociable person; or one that understood emotions very well for that matter.

She settled for waiting. She wasn't hungry so the dish remained forgotten in the kitchen.

When the door opened she was dozing off. She heard muffled steps walking around and cracked her eyes opened to see the blurry outline of a person. She managed to prop herself on her elbows and rub her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Hey, sleeping beauty! Did I wake you up?" Kimiko blushed slightly but managed to mask it with a blurring mock glare. She looked around to see Raimundo walking towards her and she struggled to free some space for him to sit.

The brunette shook his head and lifted a bag for her. "Here! I…bought you some clothes." He said awkwardly scratching the back of his head with a hand. "You can't wear those clothes all the time. They already need to be washed."

His flustered face made the woman raise her lips slightly. "Thank you."

She accepted the bag from him and took a look at the clothing. They weren't bad, very simple and not colored much, but not bad. What she was curious about was how he knew the sizes; when she was about to ask about that she caught him smirking in the corner of her eye. She turned a full glare at him. He simply shrugged and walked away.

Calming her blood thirsty instinct she scoffed and marched to the bathroom. As she closed the door she rolled her eyes at the masked laughter, _'Pervert!'_

The bathroom wasn't big like hers, it was medium in size with a classic sink and toilet and a bathtub that covered the wall opposite to the door. She placed the clothes on a shelf near the sink and started to undress – only after making sure the door was locked.

She took a few minutes to look at herself in the mirror and had to grimace at the dark bags under her eyes. She was tired and looked awful and she didn't deny it, but she simply couldn't bring herself to take care of her being anymore.

She stepped in the tub deciding on a quick, refreshing shower. She shuddered as the cold water hit her skin first but melted under the hot stream the next second. Glancing swiftly through the gels, creams and shower soaps on the ledge she pondered using them but then shrugged and grabbed one with olive and aloe vera. The smell relaxed her body as the water rained down on her washing away any signs of exhaustion.

Stepping out of the tub she smiled feeling as if she has been reborn. Quickly drying her body with a towel she looked through the bag again searching for an outfit. She was truly surprised and outraged when she noticed at the bottom of the bag another one filled with underwear…also her size.

'_Oh! He's so gonna pay for this!'_

After once again having to restrain her killing intents, Kimiko dressed putting on a short sleeved, peach colored, 'v' neck shirt that hugged her body quite nicely and a pair of black skinny pants a bit too long for her. She fixed the problem by rolling up the bottoms before pulling on some white socks. Taking one last look in the mirror she deemed herself as looking acceptable and walked out.

She found the brunet lounging on the couch, the pillow and blanket gathered on a chair beside the T.V. Kimiko cleared her throat catching his attention and she straightened her back as his gaze moved on her, travelling from her feet to her face.

"Well, don't you look good!" He smiled innocently with a tad bit of amusement lingering underneath.

The woman glared instead. "Don't you look at me like that!" She snapped. "How could you invade my privacy?"

"Would you have preferred to walk around without any panties?" She blushed furiously causing his smile to widen in a grin. "Sit down and get something to eat, girl. Jack told me you didn't want any breakfast or lunch."

Thankful for the change she sat down beside him and poked at the plate of food on the little table. "It's not gonna bite." He chastised.

She rolled her eyes but didn't move to eat. "I'm not really hungry."

He was silent for a few seconds before a sigh escaped his lips. "Still depressed I see."

"I feel horrible."

"Eating will help."

"Eating will make me puke."

"You don't know."

"I do know."

"Then what do you want?"

"Chocolate."

"Only if you eat."

"No!"

"How old are you again?"

"I feel so horrible."

Raimundo sighed again. Turning off the T.V. he focused on Kimiko. She was eyeing the meal as if it was the most repulsive thing she had ever seen. Maybe she really was sick. The brunette stood up and took the woman's hand pulling her on her feet as well. At her confused glance he smiled.

"Let's go for a walk."

Sneaking through the village wasn't hard. Most people ignored them or just saluted them politely. Kimiko was baffled by the discovery of the inhabitants' indifference and marked it as another oddity she wanted Rai to explain. They went to the edge of the forest again and sat down under a tree.

"Why were the villagers…?"

"They know about Phantom."

She gapped. "What? But why?"

Rai chuckled and brushed off her worries. "They know who we are and what we are doing so they have nothing to be concerned about; they find it quite funny too. And besides, the village is small and we know everybody. On top of that most of the people here are old. The kids are coming around for a few days if not at all. We don't really have to worry about them."

"But how can you be so sure they won't rat you out?"

Rai paused, a flicker of sadness and remorse gathering behind his green pools before vanishing. "They won't." He said and she had the feeling that that was the end of the conversation.

"So why are we here?" She asked shifting uneasily as memories of the last time there flashed in her mind.

Raimundo grinned doing a complete change of attitude that almost made Kimiko's head spun. "I don't know. I'm waiting for you to start bawling or something."

She blinked again. "Huh?"

"Weren't you feeling horrible a minute ago?"

And then she remembered the earlier scene. Sapphire eyes locked on the ground watching her fingers caress the grass. She was reminded of the loneliness and desperation that was on the verge of swallowing her whole in the morning and how Raimundo's presence brought a distraction to her troubled mind. He was a most needed support that managed to bring forth the small details of life and made her forget about her problems if only for a little while, the warm ray of hope that she hung on to and waited to come.

She wasn't stunned to figure out the brunette could cheer her up with only his being next to her. She felt wonderful and happy around him, so at ease that she could mistake him for Keiko. She wanted to pour all her sorrow in his arms, to feel him holding her close, protecting her. But she wasn't sure it would end up with both of them at the same finish line.

She shook her head tuning out his caring words, holding her eyes closed and her hand retreating back in her lap. A soft touch prickled the skin of her chin and her face was lifted. She didn't want to open her eyes and look in those amazing forest green orbs. She knew her resolve would crack with him looking at her all concerned and pleading. She prayed not to tell her to open them either.

Nothing happened though. Only his breath gliding down her face affecting the flow of her blood, raising her flush to new shades. She wondered what he was doing when all of a sudden every sense left her being.

Soft, sweet skin hesitantly met her lips and the sensation coursing through her body made her go stiff. Her mind shut down until only instinct remained and it told her to respond. She obeyed leaving the pleasure to take over. Her frozen lips parted granting him access. She moaned as they deepened the kiss ignoring the lack of oxygen until he forcefully pushed her away.

Her eyes snapped opened and she gasped drawing in as much air as possible. She felt her face glow. Her throat was dry and nothing crossed her mind as she gazed in his eyes.

"Kimiko…" He whispered slowly. But his voice was lost in the storm swirling in her head. "You don't have to be strong." He continued stroking her cheek. "I know you're hurt but I want to help you with everything I can. So please, please, let it out. Don't hold everything in, Kimiko!"

The woman was too shocked to respond. Her mind was petrified and she barely processed his words.

"Kimiko?"

Her eyes blurred. Hot wet trickles of salty water rolled down her cheeks and she lowered her head. She realized why her tears couldn't flow when she had wanted. She finally figured out what she had been missing.

"Kimi?"

A sob shook her body. Strong arms wrapped around her trembling form and she melted in giving in to the desire of breaking down under all that stress and grief.

The warmth of a comforting presence was everything she needed.

Rai held her to his chest, slowly rubbing her back as she pulled her soul out in front of him. He was a bit miserable for kissing her to get over her walls but he had to remind himself it was better for her to let her emotions out. He sighed and tightened his grip as her crying grew louder. He was going to wait, no matter how much time she needed.

**-.-**

By the time they returned, the sky was already black and the alleys cold and empty. Kimiko was walking beside the brunette, glazed eyes fixed on the ground and she felt numb all over. Rai twisted the doorknob and entered the dimly lit house.

Jack was sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up when he heard them coming in, a vacant expression settling on his face. He was confused seeing the raven haired woman so down but had to mark it off as one of Raimundo's numerous wins. Whatever they did, and he wasn't going to pry – not yet anyway –, could only mean that they were ready to finally talk the whole mess down and maybe find a solution.

"Guys!" He began. Raimundo and Kimiko glanced at him. "Grab some coffee. It'll be a long night!"

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><p><strong>Well, there it is...a sweet RaiKim moment along with some banter that we all love...The action will kick off in the next chapter which will hopefully be up later this week, until then... thanks to everyone who favorited or follows or reviewed the story so far. I greatly appreciate your support!<strong>

**See you next time!**


	7. Beginning

**Sorry for breaking the promise...I didn't expect the end of the week to become the end of the _following_ week but my beta had some technical problems with her mail and she couldn't send me the chapter any sooner. I regret you having to wait and I hope you haven't been too disappointed for my lack of activity. **

**Anyhow, there it is the new installment of 'Different Paths' with another promise of not making any more senseless promises. Meaning, I can't be sure when the next chapter will be up but it'll be soon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Beginning<strong>

They were called in at the last minute as the proprietor didn't think it was bad until his workers warned him about others who made the same mistake and ended up eating dust themselves. This had to be suspicious though. He wasn't known for attacking the same area twice in the same month but the prize was indeed inestimable. The Eye of Dashi was a sight to behold. The Chinese crafted medallion has been just procured by a renowned historian, Myuki Takeo. Famous for his many purchases throughout the world, the man's wealth was said to be entirely made by historical artefacts, some of them acquired through questionable means.

And here he was now. Laid down in his futon, the historian felt his brain work in miles per hour. It was like overdrive, he thought his head would explode any second. He knew he shouldn't be worried, but from everything he had heard from his employees, _he_ wasn't to be mess around with. He was a pro but he was assured by the police forces that it would all be taken care of. Somehow he doubted that, and for the nth time that night he wondered: How did he end up in such a situation?

Outside, the black and white picture could only bring chills down one's back with its frightening appearance, but no matter what, its majestic size spoke volumes of its importance and beauty. The mansion was engulfed in a thick veil of silence. It loomed in the sky over three stories high casting a prolonged shadow over the front yard. The circular planted gardens, filled with flowers and grass, swayed in the slight breeze as footsteps echoed throughout the deserted area. The black clad men walking in the darkness stood hidden from an unseen enemy watching with hawk like eyes every movement around the house.

Shadows crept from each corner, the faded light of the moon offering them ground to land on. The blackness was everywhere and the dim glimmer of the night queen just barely plunged into their depths. And he took full advantage of that.

Shifting swiftly from shadow to shadow, running weightlessly through the air like a spectre, expertly trailing any changes of his surroundings, Phantom easily penetrated the property, one purpose perfectly clear in his mind.

His silent steps resounded with the quietness, black body blending with the darkness; he smirked at the easiness of everything. He couldn't help feel the pang of disappointment growing inside of him. The house was in sight now and he could vaguely make out the shapes of people hidden through the foliage of the gardens or the corners of the house.

He knew he should be worried, maybe even hesitant, but somehow those emotions chose to evade him that night. If anything he was excited. And not the 'I know something you don't know so I'll win' kind of excited but the 'This is it, everything ends now' kind of excited.

He took a deep breath, reigning in his frenzy impulses. This was the end of the line. It all came down to him to solve everything. He had all the cards and boy, was he gonna love creating a hurricane for those people. A Cheshire smile spread on his lips.

'_They won't even know what hit them!'_

**-.-**

**Earlier that day**

Kimiko was trapped. Her sense of justice screamed to go back to Tokyo, however, that small, annoying, contradictive voice in the back of her head chose the same moment to make itself known. She didn't want to abandon Jack and Raimundo. They were nice guys, a bit odd sometimes, but she felt like she could confide in them with everything.

Also there was that uncomfortable sensation coursing through her body when her mind would turn to those deep forest green eyes; eyes filled with sorrow and regret only lightened by that twinkle of mischief and cockiness which only made her tender temper blow out of proportions.

She smiled sadly, hands gripping tightly the hems of the hood covering her face. Her pace quickened as she spotted the bus pulling in the station and she easily slipped inside. Blue eyes watched the small town shrink through the window and a heavy sigh made its way out as she slouched in her seat.

She made her decision and she knew what it had to be done. However, it wasn't going to be pretty and the though only brought a grimace on her lips.

**-.-**

The door clicked open and a stream of light erupted in the room from the hallway. The tall, bulky man stepped inside, locking the door with a hand while the other one searched for the switch. As the light flooded the modest apartment, Clay placed his bag on the nearest surface which happened to be the couch before walking towards his bedroom ready to throw off the uncomfortable uniform.

To say the least, he was pissed. The situation back at Headquarters was terrible and it all swirled around Kimiko. _'…and Phantom,'_ he added bitterly.

He honestly couldn't wrap his mind around the situation. Ever since Phantom appeared in Japan things have started to go downhill. The police had been called back and forth for nearly two months. Clay found it incredibly amusing how paranoid most of the rich or influential people have become since the thief made his presence known in the country before disappearing without a trace.

Of course, afterwards they received all kinds of calls and emergencies concerning Phantom which ended up being either kids with a crazy sense of humour and an adventurous spirit or simply nutcases. He scowled darkly remembering how many times he was forced to restrain such persons.

Anyway, after his mysterious absence, Phantom indeed made a hit: Mr Hogai. The stolen item, the Sword of the Storm, had an immeasurable value, yet the thief returned it. Why? Clay had no idea and neither did the whole world. From Brazil's Ambassador, to Lady Wuya and to the infamous magnate Hannibal Roy Bean, his actions were a mystery.

The blond off-handily wondered if Brazil, Australia or the United States had to deal with the same events. He shook his head a second after. Now was not the time to think about that, he had to come up with something to fix the current problem.

Kimiko.

What was he gonna do now that the whole country associated her with Phantom? And then he asked himself again. Why did the higher-ups think they would achieve by making that sort of information public?

"_It is a risk we need to assume. Phantom is considered a world-wide threat since there are very few known about him. By placing him and Miss Tohomiko in the same boat we can secure at least a temporary lead on him making this the closest up-to-date opportunity of cornering him."_

It wasn't a bad idea, admittedly; but it could have been better if they didn't make a runaway out of Kimiko. He, as well as everyone else knew there was something fishy down the middle. It must have been a misunderstanding of some sort. The wrong place at the wrong time…yet, _what_ was she doing at the museum back then?

So many questions with no answers in the near future, at least that's what he believed before answering the knock on the door and freeze in the threshold. His eyes widened for a fraction of second before they narrowed, lips thinned and jaw set firmly.

The person standing in front of him slouched a bit but their eyes remained fixed on Clay's. The blond sighed and stiffly moved to let his guest enter. He slowly closed the door and motioned for the person to the couch. He, himself, dropped like a rock on the soft cushions without a word.

Despite his calm exterior, Clay felt a storm brewing inside of him. He closed his eyes trying to get a hold of his emotions and then opened them, his voice cutting sharply through the tense silence.

"What in tarnation are ya doing here?"

**-.-**

Jack absentmindedly played with the spoon in his coffee as his vibrant red eyes stared blankly at the rising sun. He felt so tired he was amazed he was standing and not staggering like a drunk. The coffee must have helped a little despite taking only a few sips. His mind drifted to the day before and a barely visible frown crossed his face. He was vaguely questioning whether everything would sort itself out in the end. He could only hope it would and that it would sort out in their favour.

It was all a matter of time, he decided with a sigh.

Running a hand over his eyes, Jack abandoned the spoon letting it clank uselessly with the half filled mug. From the corner of his eye he caught the bedroom door swing open and a half asleep Raimundo stepped out yawning like there was no tomorrow.

"Morning." He muttered scratching his head and ruffling even more his normally messy hair.

Jack acknowledged the greeting with a nod as he stared at the brunet pouring himself a cup of coffee. "You know Kimiko is…" He let the words trail but only received a shrug from Raimundo.

"I was thinking she would." He replied lifting the mug to his lips and softly blowing away the steam rising from it.

"Any idea what she may be planning next?"

Another shrug. "I suppose we'll see."

Jack lifted and eyebrow at his friend's nonchalant attitude. "Doesn't it concern you a bit?"

Raimundo smirked. "I like a challenge, Jack!" The red head rolled his eyes. "We'll just go with the flow!"

"You are off the rocket, Rai!"

"What does that make you?"

The Goth threw him a half hearted glare and picked up the spoon slowly spinning it in the dark, cold liquid as his gaze slipped back at the rising sun. There would be some very strenuous days ahead, he sighed defeated.

**-.-**

Clay was usually a very rational guy. He didn't accept nonsense from anyone and wasn't easily fooled, especially by his friends. Despite all that he knew when not to push the subject and when a person wished to be left to their own advice and he was pleased to say he was good at that. However, the more he was hearing, the more he wanted nothing else but to throw a tantrum, shake the girl and demand some answers.

It was all so wrong. And it could all happen just to Kimiko. The raven haired woman was sitting right in front of him, face grim and determined but otherwise fine. Dark circles surrounded her eyes and clashed with her pale skin but that was expected. She must have been devastated after learning of her new status. Clay could only imagine the emotional pain that ripped through her heart a few days ago and wince slightly at the picture.

But that was not the topic of their conversation. Everything so far felt surreal to the blond. It was as if a part of a world that should have never met theirs had and still, the result of such a collision stood on his couch. He blinked slowly trying to regain his mental equilibrium.

"Let me get this straight, 'kay?" Kimiko nodded waiting for him to speak. "You met with Phantom, _alone_, 'cause he asked ya to…and then fled with him instead of remainin' and explainin' what the heck was going on, leaving all of us to run around in the dark and now yer coming at meh sayin' that Phantom will rob Myuki Takeo's house tonight and that ya want me ta help him _get away_?"

The woman bobbed her head affirming everything he has said thus far. Clay gapped at her trying and failing to form a coherent sentence. In the end he only managed a befuddled, "What?"

Kimiko huffed throwing her head back. "Clay, please, I need your help with this. It's the only way I'll be able to redeem myself."

"W-Wait a sec, ya mean…?"

"Yes. You'll go to Chase and tell him you've got an anonymous tip about Phantom and tonight while they try to capture him I'll come in and stop him myself. Then you'll help him escape. It's simple!"

The blond snickered humourlessly. "Kim'ko…it ain't that easy. They'll know something is wrong. Chase ain't stupid like that…and he knows ya."

Kimiko bit her lip worriedly. She knew the harder to fool would be Chase. He was her mentor after all, he taught her everything she knew, been there for her throughout her career. She honestly wanted to regain his respect and she wanted to tell him everything but she wasn't sure how he would react. He was unpredictable, harsh and cunning; one of the most successful agents. And he would pose as quite a hitch for their plan.

"Damn." She finally voiced. "What do you have in mind then?"

Clay frowned. "Ah ain't so sure 'bout this thing Kim'ko."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah mean…" Clay took a deep breath. "Ya should come back and explain ever'thing to the others 'cause yer not really makin' sense."

The woman shook her head slowly, a blank expression covering her pretty features. "What the hell are you talking about? I definitely can't do that!"

"Kimiko, be serious, darn it! What yer tryin' won't _ever_ work out!"

Kimiko continued to shake her head.

"Kimiko, this ain't some movie where ya trick the police, gain respect from ever'one and save the bad guy all at the same time. This is – "

"He's not a _bad_ guy!" Kimiko stressed through grounded teeth. "He is not who you think he is! He is…"

Clay watched her sternly. "Yes?"

Kimiko paused for a second, her mind drifting to her conversation with Raimundo back in the forest.

"_Does it have to do with what you said last night? That is the 'only way to get over'?"_

"_Yeah! It has. It's more like a legacy truth to be told…"_

She mentally shook herself out of her stupor and looked coldly in the blonde's blue eyes. "He has his reasons." She said finally.

"Which would be?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow, completely unaffected by the woman's bitter demeanour. She scowled and without a warning stood up and stormed towards the door.

Clay didn't try to stop her. "Ya don't know."

Kimiko spun on her heels, hardly concealed fury washing over her face. "He is a good person. He hasn't hurt anybody and…he…he's not doing it for himself…" At the man's confused expression, the woman shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I suppose you're not gonna help me anyway."

Clay hastily pulled himself up. "Wait! I've never said I ain't gonna help ya, it's just that…is he even trustworthy? How do ya know he ain't gonna pull one over ya?"

Kimiko looked at him impassively. Her mind was whirling around that question and every answer it came up with was an image of Raimundo smiling caringly at her. "I just know."

"This is really twisted." Clay laughed. "Ah can't believe this is happenin'."

The woman managed a weak smile and she stepped back beside the couch. "Thanks Clay."

The blond shrugged. "Want som'thing to drink?"

The sun shone through the open windows, the refreshing air of the summer night being replaced with the ever warming breeze of the morning. Kimiko followed Clay in the kitchen and watched him make some tea. She sat on a chair and closed her eyes tiredly.

From the counter, Clay smiled slightly at his friend. He had no idea what he was getting himself into but he would do anything if his friends would ask for it. And he could bet his old hat that this would be one big pain to deal with.


	8. Lasting

**Since it's been a long time I think a disclaimer is required right about now. I do not own anything beside the idea behind the story and any OC that may appear. Those badass characters and the amazing shen-gong-wu aren't mine and they will never be. Sad but would be all. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Lasting<strong>

Ruby red eyes watched, focused on the passing windows popping out on the bright screen as his fingers continuously typed on the battered keyboard. A slight crease decorated his brows but his unmoving gaze stood solely on the laptop, whatever was concerning his mind staying unknown to the world around him.

The black car was rumbling with anticipation, the engine turned on and hardly waiting to run wild, but the young man ignored completely his surroundings. The bluish light of the computer engulfed the enclosed space reflecting in his eyes with purple hues, however, despite the bright illumination he kept on staring at the source.

Fingers momentarily hovered over the keyboard before returning to their mad dash once again. The young man's shoulder relaxed a tiny bit as a small twitch of his lips indicated a smile. One hand moved to the side of his head and searching through crimson strands of hair reached the device secured in his ear.

"It's all clear." He whispered with an ever-growing smirk.

The static buzz hummed for a few seconds before a voice called back: _"Neat! I'm going in!"_

Jack leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for several moments. The laptop purred in his lap but he was more preoccupied with the thoughts of a certain raven headed police woman. She left that morning and neither he nor Raimundo were sure of her intentions. She only gave them a brief summary of what she was planning and from that only, he could draw just one conclusion: failure. But Raimundo was adamant in trusting her and as he said, he loved a challenge.

'_Well, I hope this challenge will satisfy him for _at least_ a few weeks.' _He reflected dryly. He really regretted coming back to Japan now.

**-.-**

Phantom silently sneaked through the mansion with the skills of a hunting cat. Easily stepping on the carpeted floor he listened intently for any signs that may indicate an approaching figure and when he didn't hear anything he went on exploring the rooms with caution.

He had an ambiguous idea of where the Eye of Dashi was located. He was on the right level, that much he knew, what he needed to do now was seek the chamber. Softly touching the handle of a door, he turned it slowly and peeked through the creak he created: another bedroom. He resisted the urge to growl in exasperation and slam the door shut. Instead he gently locked it and moved to the next one.

'_Why the hell does he need so many bedrooms anyway?'_

Shaking his head he walked around the corner after making sure the coast was clear. Jack hacked in the house's system earlier deactivating the cameras on the floor he was currently on, however, there were still guards patrolling around. Phantom had met two men so far but he wasn't going to let his guard down still. In such a small space, a potential fight would equal catastrophe. And him most likely in prison garb.

Passing by a large tapestry, the thief let his eyes wander around. The embroidery looked Egyptian and quite expensive if his mind wasn't fooling him. The thought brought a nasty taste in his mouth and he grimaced. Again he was proven the human's voracity.

His pace sped up but he halted briefly in front of a mahogany double door. His mind kicked into gear and his arms stretched to grab the knobs. He had a weird feeling about that door. Pushing easily, they swung open revealing the large chamber. Shelves decorated the walls with various statues and vases lined up elegantly as well as many drapes and shawls. Tables ran along the walls displaying old maps and pages, or jewels with sparkling gems or even a few swords that looked to belong to different parts of the world. There were no windows but from the ceiling hung a crystal chandelier with unlit candles placed around.

Phantom sighed and soundlessly stepped inside, hidden eyes scanning the surfaces for the rectangular Chinese pendant. His body tensed for an unknown reason. He was certain his heartbeat echoed through the room with loud thuds and his steps slowed down. Something was nagging him at the back of his mind; a sort of primitive instinct warning him of an imminent danger.

Hands clenching nervously, the thief composed himself and continued to search the room. On one of the desks there was a velvet cushion and resting on top of it stood his prize. He smiled slightly and advanced towards the scarlet jeweled antiquity. The simple medallion flickered mysteriously in the light pouring through the opened doors before it was shadowed by Phantom's body. He raised a gloved hand to take it when a click from behind disrupted his action.

"Do not move."

The stillness that fell upon the room was heavy and tense. Phantom swallowed mutely and his hand dropped down to his side. Gradually, his head tilted to glance over his shoulder at the figure standing straight with the gun pointed at his head. He couldn't quite make out his features but he had long dark hair and black clothing that somehow resembled a police uniform.

"Turn around." He commanded in an unyielding tone. Phantom slid on a glacial face as he turned on his heels. "Hands up." The man instructed again. He obeyed.

The man reached for a communicator but before he could say something, Phantom threw his leg upwards kicking the gun out of his hand. He then swiftly charged at him, shoulder smacking him in the chest, turned around to grab the pendant and sprinted out of the room all in four seconds.

He heard a growl from behind him but didn't dare to look back. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and all of a sudden, the corridors were washed with a blinding white light. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward to the stairs. Thunderous footsteps resounded all around him and for a moment he felt like panicking.

He inhaled deeply, straining to regain his bearings and calm down. The image of his father flashed in his mind, strong and determined. He breathed and turned around a corner dashing with new found fortitude. The stairs appeared in his sight along with the guards jogging up to greet him.

Phantom didn't hold back. With a mighty shove, he leaped over them using their heads as springboards before sliding down the banister, curses and obscenities being flung his way. Finally, he allowed a smirk to slip on his face.

**-.-**

Kimiko gazed outside the car's window, her foot tapping impatiently. In the driver seat, Clay was gripping the wheel like his life depended on it. They had agreed on a plan earlier that day, however, putting it in practice proved to be quite nerve-racking. They were heading to Mr. Myuki's house hoping to catch Chase and put their plan into motion before someone could find out about Phantom being there.

However, Kimiko simply had this weird sinking feeling in her stomach that warned her of an impending doom. She related it to not having eaten very well lately but the voice in the back of her head said it was something entirely different. She could only hope her instincts were wrong for the time being.

As the car sped on the highway, her deep blue eyes trailed the shifting scenery of Tokyo. Her thoughts drifted to the times when the only thing she had to worry about was whether she would be partnered with him or her and not making sure an international thief made it out alive of a robbery that she would supposedly interrupt.

She heaved a sigh when her phone suddenly shone to life. Swiftly glancing at the caller, she frowned, her bad sensation from before weighting ten times more in her stomach. Clay watched her from the corner of his eye, easily catching the abrupt change in her mood.

Kimiko answered and she was rendered speechless as the voice on the other side began talking. Her eyes widened. "You're what?"

Another moment of silence. Kimiko cursed. "Where?"

Clay slowed down the car, somehow knowing that they would need to change directions soon. Beside him, Kimiko snapped her phone closed, an enraged expression resting on her beautiful face.

"Chase prepared a trap, Phantom had to make a quick escape and now he and Jack are in a car trailed by the police all over the city."

"Shit!"

"That's what I said too."

"Where are they?" Clay asked.

"They're heading for the docks."

"It's always the docks."

Kimiko smiled grimly.

The car veered right to an exit that would have made them take a detour if they had missed. Not wasting a second the blond accelerated, almost flying by the other cars in their haste to join the on-going chase.

**-.-**

Jack cursed for the nth time that night as he swerve around a civilian car trying to put as much of a distance as possible between them and the remaining police. From the passenger seat, Phantom gripped his seatbelt glancing in the rear view mirror once in a while for anymore pursuers that might be joining from the alleyways.

"Two more from right." He spoke and the red head took a left corner barely avoiding crashing in a car who pushed the brakes just in time to avoid collision.

"I tell ya, they're like cockroaches." Jack grumbled.

Phantom found himself smiling slightly but he frowned the next moment as the blaring sirens screamed closer to their car. He swore silently as he glanced at the back up pouring out of the sideway street. '_Like cockroaches, indeed.' _He agreed.

Jack clasped his hands around the wheel, his foot pressing on the pedal until it reached the floor. The black BMW tore through the streets speedily, ignoring the traffic and the lights while the pedestrians stood frozen on the concrete. The night jam began to clear as the roads were blocked but the red headed driver wouldn't have any of that.

He took the narrowed, cramped avenues, mentally praying his car wouldn't have much to suffer from the whole affair. Rapidly changing directions, their pursuers slowly decreased in numbers and Jack felt like he could finally breathe.

"Don't get too comfortable." He heard Phantom mutter darkly.

A quick peek in the mirror and his stomach dropped. The silent emerald colored vehicle of a familiar face greeted his view. "Is that the guy Kimiko talked about?" He inquired shifting the speed and jamming the gas down.

The car lurched forward and their trailers followed in stride. Behind them, Phantom watched as Chase approached them gradually and he gripped tightly the seatbelt. "Jack, go faster!"

"I'm trying! We have to lose them somehow!" Jack growled, eyes darting around for a way out of the straight track.

He suddenly swung the wheel wide, cutting through the lane next to them and stepped up in a small road. Taken off guard, most of their pursuers went on and fortunately Chase did the same.

Jack whooped in joy and threw a smile to his friend. "Ha! I did it!"

"Awesome, man!" Laughed Phantom only to stop sharply as a blockade entered his sight. "Jack, _stop_!"

Shakily, the techno expert slammed the brakes, the tires screeching as they came to an abrupt halt in front of the fence. "_Shit_! It had to be a dead end, didn't it?"

"Turn around!" Yelled the thief twisting in his seat to look at the mouth of the alley where several cars were already parked.

Jack moaned at the damage that his car would suffer and switched into reverse, shooting backwards. Vague screams resounded as they approached and unexpectedly gun shots rang though the air. Jack didn't hesitate at the thought, and the automobile crashed in the police cars, having gathered enough momentum to go all the way on the street. Hurried hands searched the handle, and desperately ran through the speeds before accelerating once again.

"My beautiful car just got smashed!" He snapped at the grinning brunet. "And I've just fixed it."

"Oh, don't be a baby! Better the car than us, right?"

The red head huffed and swerved violently resulting in Phantom abruptly banging his head on the window. He smirked innocently as the thief threw him a glare and then focused on escaping the police still behind them with a disturbingly good mood.

Slowly, the bay came into view and with it the sirens distanced. Jack continued to take the alleys, avoiding the traffic and at the same time confusing the law men with their unpredictable spot. However, it all went downhill when a dark green Honda veered in front of them.

Phantom shouted a curse and Jack hit the brakes and twisted the wheel to go around it, but the vehicle seemed persistent in keeping its position in the front. He smacked the stirring wheel in frustration and headed for a back road, but the driver in front of them slowed down and tagged along behind them.

"Where did he came from?" Asked Phantom feeling the adrenaline pumping once more in his veins.

"How the hell should I know? I thought we lost them! Especially him!" Jack grunted in annoyance.

The small road exited right in the Hinode pier and the red head ventured through the many installations if only he could make Chase crash against something. Nonetheless, it didn't work and the Honda swiftly caught up to them. Jack grounded his teeth and forced the car to go faster. Little by little, they left Chase in the dust but before one of them could say something, they heard a thump from behind and the next second they were spinning around uncontrollably.

Both screamed clutching their seats as the car spun madly, the tires smoking on the pavement while Jack tried to regain control of the wheel. A wall passed over the screen and Jack's eyes widened as the car staggered straight for it. With an almighty pull and a growl, the red head swung the car sideways somehow lessening the impact with the rock fence.

The airbags shot out and Jack was grateful that his head didn't bash against the dashboard, nevertheless, he was a bit dizzy and a migraine already began to grow. Beside him, Phantom groaned, shaking his head, and felt around to release the seatbelt.

"Something broken?" He mumbled.

Jack nimbly shook his head, hands still firmly grasping the wheel. "Just my car." A dry laughter drifted from the thief as he finally found the button. The technician sighed heavily and his head slumped forward. "I'm never going to do this again."

"It's not over, yet." Phantom pushed the door open and slipped out. "Stay here."

Jack rolled his eyes without looking up. "You can count on that." He spoke listening to the decreasing beat of his heart.

Outside, Phantom stumbled slightly through the wreckage when the click of a gun made him glance forward. Chase stood impassively in front of him, a somewhat smug look covering his face.

"Is it just me or is there a sense of déjà-vu?"

The thief straightened up. "There will be after I kicked the gun out of your hand." A swift throb developed in his skull but he pushed the pain away.

The dark haired man scowled. "Let's see you try, pest."

He smirked in return only to gasp the next second. "Kimiko!" Chase's eyes widened and he turned around to look behind him. A sharp pain flickered in his hand and he had the good instinct to duck as another kick flew past his head.

He cursed himself for falling to such an easy trick. Stepping back he blocked a punch with an arm as the other one reeled back to send an uppercut. Phantom evaded it and spun with a roundhouse kick. Chase stopped it and raised his knee aiming for his stomach. With not enough space and time to move, the thief leant forward, the knee scrapping his skin as it went by.

However, that offered Chase the opening he needed and his fist violently connected with Phantom's head. He didn't stop there and flipped with a kick to his jaw and an elbow to the chest. The kick grazed his chin but Phantom managed to recover his bearings in order to sidestep the elbow.

He grunted, eyes blinking away the blurry tears beneath the mask as he clumsily parried another strike. It definitely wasn't doing anything for his headache. A kick shot for his midriff but he was able to get out of the way and fling his elbow in the side of the man's neck. Chase tilted his head just in time and spun on the spot placing his forearms on the thief's chest and pushing vigorously. He tripped the younger man's feet and he fell backwards only he succeeded in rolling away before Chase's foot would have slammed down on top of him.

Phantom panted as he stood up while Chase glared at him, already prepared for the next round and looking as if he could be doing that anytime, any day. Without notice, he leaped towards him and the thief hastily leaned sideways from a lashing kick. He bent down as a fist fluttered above him and casted his leg outwards in a low sweep kick.

Chase saw it coming and jumped, afterwards bringing his arms in a guarded position to hinder the punches that followed. Phantom rumbled, frustrated as each of his hits were stopped and swiftly brought his knee up before flipping with a flying kick. Chase dodged and a fist missed his shoulder as he stepped out of its reach.

He smirked, enjoying the irritation his evasive moves placed on his opponent. From the corner of his eye he spotted the gleaming metal of the gun and a plan began to form in his head.

A kick trailed by a quick stab motion pushed the thief several steps back. Chase hunched and twisted and then suddenly launched a strong kick that caught Phantom in his side despite his attempt at avoiding it. A muffled yell escaped his throat and while struggling to regain his breath, he failed to notice Chase diving for the gun.

But Jack did.

The red head had been watching the whole fight and he could easily tell who the winner was. As Chase moved towards the weapon, Jack jumped out of his car and slid on the harsh ground smiling slightly as his feet thrust the gun out of the man's reach. The moment was short-lived as the dark haired man, catching sight of him, growled angrily and reared back his foot.

The strike never hit since Phantom appeared behind Chase delivering a punch in the back of his neck. Jack also took the chance and aimed for the back of his knee, resulting in the man tumbling to the ground.

He quickly rolled back up, the gun securely located in his hand and a murderous expression framing his face. "This would be the end." He stated calmly. The two panting young men stood up as well, slowly raising their hands in the air. "You've offered quite a headache to everyone, however, this is where your luck ran out."

He smirked. "Catching the infamous Phantom will certainly give me the fame I deserve."

"Too bad it will not offer him any company." The thief mumbled, loud enough for only Jack to hear who hardly stifled the smile.

"Get down." The bark made both of them jump but they listened. Chase moved to cuffed them but stopped when the roar of an engine pointed to an arriving car.

The bright lights washed over them as the car halted. "Chase!" And the petite figure of one Kimiko Tohomiko emerged from the vehicle.


	9. Raving

**Not a pleasant response to the last chapters but I guess it can't be helped...I'm not the kind of person to dwell on such things after all so here is the next installment of 'Different Paths'; it's high time for the action to cool but not until someone is hurt, right? :P**

**By the way, to answer Hikaru Kurosaki's question from my other story 'The Power Within' regarding my choice of Rai's weapon: **

**Hehe...That sure has made me blink several times when I first read it. :) Well, truthfully, it was kind of a personal trifle...I thought that during the show Rai got the Sword of the Storm _and _the Blade of the Nebula so what use could _another_ sword have been; he doesn't make a collection out of them, does he? However, there hasn't been any weapons with a bow and an arrow, if we don't count Kimiko's Arrow Sparrow but she mostly throws them with her hands. I thought I should bring something new and honestly, I've always been a fan of archery and I've always imagined Rai handling one. Besides, from my perspective, a bow and arrows works better with the element of lightning. **

**Sorry if you you're not satisfy but this is my opinion. Thanks for letting me know, anyway. :) ****Also, you should activate you Private Messages option. Like this, I'm not sure whether you read it or not. Hope you do...**

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><p><strong>Raving <strong>

Kimiko stared at the scene, a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead. Chase, Raimundo and Jack were looking back at her and it all made her feel like a deer caught in the spotlight. The anxiety and trepidation took a hold of her for several seconds but she shook herself out of it. She swallowed and stepped forward; hoping Chase wouldn't see that as a threat.

"Chase!" She repeated hearing only the beat of her heart hammering in her chest.

The man blinked owlishly at her. She watched as different emotions crossed his golden eyes and her stomach sunk as they settled upon barely concealed fury. His hand tightened around the firearm and his features melted into a blank mask with the exception of his striking yellow eyes which were glaring holes in her being.

"What a reunion this is, little Kimiko." He momentarily glanced at the driver of the car still hidden inside. He had an inkling he knew who that was as well. "Here to defend your new friends?" Chase watched calmly as the young woman hesitantly shook her head and he raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Actually…" She began, taking another step towards him. "I was going to inform you of tonight, but with the whole car chase thing I didn't have the occasion."

"I'm sorry, Kimiko, but you're gonna have to do better than that." Chase cut in coldly. He wanted to have faith her, he truly did, however, the facts were against her. No matter how much he might have cared for her as a friend and protégé, he had to keep in mind that she was the one who broke his trust and their promise. If it was one thing Chase was adamant about was to always keep your word. So he ignored the raven haired girl's disheartened look.

"Come on, Chase, please! You know I'm not like that. I just panicked and, ugh, I don't know, everything's been so confusing lately. But I'm back now and I…I _really_ want everything to be like before. Please!"

He couldn't exactly stay unaffected in front of those pleading blue eyes. He sighed. "Kimiko, regardless of your explanation you are still in deep waters. I can't say for sure if things will _ever_ be back to how they were."

Blue eyes turned their gaze to the ground. She knew her fate was sealed, she knew she wouldn't get a special treatment and she knew she couldn't stay in Japan any longer. Chase knew it as well. Her heart hurt thinking how much grief she must have caused to everyone but she didn't have a choice anymore. As her act to soften the man failed, she went for the second option.

"I guess you're right. Things will never be the same." She spoke gravely and unexpectedly spun on her heel with a kick. Taken aback, the raven haired man couldn't react before the gun was snapped out of his hand.

The distraction was enough for Jack to lunge for it while Phantom sprung on his feet and aimed a kick at the man's side. Kimiko heard the door of the car open and Clay walking out before a scream forced her attention back at the three struggling to reach the gun.

She jumped after the weapon, only to jerk it further as Chase stretched for it. He glanced in her eyes for a second but the moment was cut short when he went to grab her arm. Kimiko jolted back, breathing heavily when she suddenly felt a hand pulling her up. She fought back but then a mass of red invaded her vision and she realized it was Jack dragging her away from the brawl.

"What are you doing?" She yelled.

Jack glared at her. "Isn't it obvious? You've just proved to him you are what he thinks you are. You should let Phantom and Blondie deal with him now."

Clay rammed his shoulder into Chase, throwing him away before leaping after the gun himself. Phantom chose that moment when the man was down, to try and hopefully knock him out. It didn't work out as he had anticipated. Chase demonstrated to be more skilled and resilient than he was as he was up and fighting Phantom in barely two seconds.

Delivering a successful sweep kick, trailed by a hard high strike of his foot, Chase had the thief at his feet in no time, but when he attempted to move after the blond he found himself kissing the ground instead.

"I'm not done yet." Called Phantom smugly.

Chase growled leaping on his feet before swiftly falling down again to dodge a middle kick. He directed a fast jab towards Phantom's abdomen which he evaded and then a palm thrust at his chest. The thief gasped as he was shoved backwards and the air left his lungs.

Chase didn't waste his time. He dashed after Clay just as the man was picking up the gun. He slid on the ground, sweeping him off his feet then quickly recovered his balance and turned for a knockout blow to his head.

"Clay!"

Kimiko brushed off Jack's hand running towards her friend. Before the blonde even hit the ground, Kimiko was jumping with a spinning kick. Chase managed to spot her in time as he rolled out of the way leaving the young woman's leg to pass harmlessly by him. Breathing heavily, the man was besides her quickly wrapping his hand round the back of her knee earning a pained growl from her, before tripping her up. Kimiko was down immediately, her shoulder connecting hard with the ground.

She gasped as throbbing pain shot through her arm and chest but she ignored them for the hand that wrapped around her arm and forcefully pulled her up. The raven haired woman swore under her breath when she felt cold metal press against her head.

This wasn't going as planned at all, she mentally berated herself.

On the other side, Phantom halted. He violently cursed in his mind, hands itching to land a good hit on the man who caused such a chaos out of their already frail plan. Chase's glare, however, froze him.

The barrel of the gun was still in his hand firmly touching Kimiko's ebony locks, a mockery of how powerless he was in that moment. He gritted his teeth trying to come up with a distraction. The blond man Kimiko came with was unconscious on the floor and Jack was fearfully looking at him for reassurance that he wasn't able to give.

'_No, no! Not now, not like this…damn it all…Why did it have to get so complicated?'_ Phantom thought angrily. His hands rolled in tense balls at his sides and he bit his lip mulling over his options despite their almost non-existent numbers.

"This game of yours is now over." Chase's cold voice cut through his musings. Masked eyes traveled towards the man's figure holding beneath him the girl he, unwillingly and quite accidentally, came to like. He was breathing hard but not enough to be classified as panting like was his case.

'_What the hell is this guy? I swear; he didn't even break a sweat during the fight…'_

"But considering the nuisance you proved to be…" Chase spoke coldly and Phantom could have vowed his canines looked like fangs there for a second. "I wish to ask you for one more thing…"

Still battling with the exhaustion, the thief nodded. "Shoot then…No pun intended." He quickly amended.

A ghost of a smile played on the man's lips. "Take off your mask."

**-.-**

"Move it or lose it, pipsqueak!"

"I do not appreciate being called such a belittling na – "

"Whatever, there they are."

"What? Wait, get back." A sudden tug and both figures were crouched beside the wall of a warehouse on the docks.

"What the heck –"The older person growled only for the other one to placed their hands up and shut them up.

"Look closely, would you?" The shorter of the two whispered sternly.

A gasp was heard. "Holy shit…what is going on there?"

"I'm not sure…How do you want to proceed?"

"I'm positive you know my opinion very well. Why bother asking?"

They smiled at each other and prepared to jump in at a moment's notice.

**-.-**

Green eyes widened behind white slits. Any tiredness was forgotten by the sudden flux of adrenaline coursing through his whole body and pushing his mind into high gear. How was he supposed to react to something like that? Would Chase really hurt Kimiko if he didn't do as asked?

He looked at her. She had a face of utmost surprise, blue eyes opened to ridiculous proportions and jaw seemingly broken with the way it just hanged there. He was sure if Chase hadn't held her she would have fallen down in shock.

He then glanced at Jack. The yellow goggles with swirling patterns on the lens covered his eyes but he could effortlessly make out the silent astonishment evident in his blood red orbs. He noticed how he chose to stand on the sidelines too, apparently trying to become invisible in Chase's eyes. He mentally rolled his eyes thinking of his still present cowardly tendencies.

Phantom, afterwards, turned his head toward the man with an inconspicuous sigh. No, he wouldn't harm Kimiko. Regardless of his cold and untouchable exterior, he detected earlier slight notes of sadness and regret coming from him and directed to Kimiko. Therefore he still cared for her and wouldn't risk injuring her too badly.

"Only if you let go of her first." He finally spoke determinately.

Chase raised a brow. "You're in no position to make demands."

"Maybe I wouldn't endanger Kimiko…" He said shaking his head. "…but just as sure as I am of that, I know you wouldn't do it either."

"Is that so?" For a moment neither looked away from each other until Chase unexpectedly pointed the gun at his side and pulled the trigger.

Phantom flinched at the sound but his blood ran cold in the next second when a scream pierced the air and he realized with dread who the man was aiming at. _'Jack…'_

**-.-**

"This is getting messy…" The agitation was obvious in the figure's voice.

The other one kept gapping at the scene, mortify by that cruel side of Chase Young and the underhanded trick he used. _'That bastard…'_

"We need to intrude now…this cannot end well." The first one spoke again at which the other person nodded in agreement. Both moved forward until they were right beside Clay's car and directly behind Chase and Kimiko.

**-.-**

_The dark hallways were eerily silent as the two figures stalked towards the looming doors up front with confident, quick strides. The taller of them, wearing a white domino mask and a black cape with a hood obstructing his hair from view walked ahead while behind him, the younger form of Phantom bounced around glancing at the exposed antiquities. _

"_Phantom, step it up please."_

_The brunet smiled and ran up to his older brother. "Sorry, I'm just really excited. This is my first time in the city, remember?"_

_Haze shook his head with a smirk as they neared the doors. "Well, you should keep an eye on your surroundings you know…you never how things may surprise you." The young man pushed them open slowly, peaking through the crack and through the darkness beyond it. _

_Phantom silently agreed as he watched the corridor they came through. "Are we clear?" He then asked his brother. _

_The hooded man frowned, red flags fluttering in his mind. "I'm not sure. Be on guard." He warned before slamming the double doors on the walls and stepping back out of sight, Phantom doing the same on the other side._

_As he expected, lights flooded the room and heavy footsteps rained on the wooden floor. Haze made eye contact with his little brother and only one message made it through when the guards stepped out of the chamber._

_Run._

_Both took off down the previously darkened hall. Phantom huffed as he skidded around a corner, Haze just right on his heels. The hooded thief gained speed and quickly tugged on the teen's jacket tilting his head towards the mansard. 'And don't stop.' He mouthed at which the boy offered a hesitant nod._

_The way up passed in blurs of colors for Phantom. Never before had he or his brother been caught so easily, however, he had to remind himself this was the city, the real deal. Things were ten times more dangerous than in the villages or towns they formerly raided._

_He was outside before he knew it and he had no idea what to do next. Haze bumped into him pushing him to keep on running. "I said don't stop." He spoke annoyed._

_The teen cringed and followed his brother as he dragged him towards the edge. Guards and officers stepped on the roof after them and the curiosity got the better of him. He looked back and that was all it took._

_BANG_

"JACK!" Kimiko's screech became the signal for all hell to break loose.

Phantom, now out of reviving that fateful moment of his life, rushed to his best friend's side. Kimiko elbowed Chase in the side, yet instead of letting go, the man tightened his grip digging his arm furthermore in her throat. A battle cry from behind grabbed his attention thought, and he was rewarded with a manicured fist in his face. A hand shot up and stole the gun out of his grasp while he was distracted and Kimiko took the time to get out of her hold and regard her saviors.

"Guys!" She screamed taken aback.

"What do you think you're doing?" Growled Chase wiping the blood trailing down his chin.

Omi quickly dismembered the gun letting it fall to the ground in pieces. His calm expression was highlighted by Keiko's furious scowl who was currently flexing her wrists and getting ready for a next hit.

"What we're doing?" She yelled. "What are _you_ doing? What the hell was _that_ all about?"

Omi frowned and turned to look at Kimiko. "Go." He said quietly.

Kimiko opened and closed her mouth for several seconds before managing a nod and running off to the writhing Jack. Phantom was struggling to control the blood flow by pressing his jacket on the wound. The bullet passed right below his right collar bone and exited through his back and if it weren't for her training and her experience regarding such things she would have fell nauseous right then and there.

Watching the panicking brunet beside her she sighed. "Move over." She ordered.

She took the cloth from his hands but didn't move it from the injury. She pressed hard on it with a hand, ignoring the red head's pained moans, while the other one traveled below his armpit pressing a pressure point that would help ease the blood flow.

"Phantom – "

"Is he going to be okay?" The thief yelled suddenly causing the woman to nearly jump out of her skin. "What the hell am I talking about, of course not...We have to call an ambulance – "

"He will be just fine…calm down already…" She reassured him gently. "Can you find something we can wrap around the wound?"

Phantom looked around, attempting to tune out Jack's whimpers and curses with no apparent luck if the way his hands were shaking and his rapid breathing said anything.

"Just use my shirt, god dammit!" The hurt boy managed to snap through grounded teeth before letting loose a string of moaned cusses.

"Right!" The two agreed right away.

**-.-**

Meanwhile, Keiko held herself from leaping at Chase at the same time as Omi left to check up on Clay. The raven haired man stood up from his crouch and fixed his golden eyes on the younger woman, every move bearing a grace and superior tinge that simply made Keiko's nerves spiral out of control.

"I may not know what is going on, but I know randomly shooting a bystander is something we do not do, ever." She scowled darkly.

"He wasn't just a bystander; he _is_ Phantom's accomplice…" He replied dangerously. "Along with Kimiko."

Keiko didn't skip a beat as she snapped back. "Did you even listen to her side of the story?"

"Her actions spoke volumes of it."

The woman tensed, feeling her anger subdue but her sense of peril increase dramatically. "What happened to Clay then?"

Chase shrugged. "By helping Kimiko he became an accomplice himself."

"So if I choose to trust my best friend you will attack me too?"

"Indeed."

She sighed. "It'll be your word against ours then."

Chase's eyes widened and he dropped down, Omi's flying kick passing a hair's breadth away from his scalp. He frowned when the short boy turned around with several fast jabs. In spite of his tiredness, Chase managed to weave around them and recovered with a high sweep. Omi flipped over it and sent a kick of his own which the man grabbed and twisted sending him to the ground.

Omi succeeded in falling in a roll and shot up with twice his previous speed. He let a smile creep on his face as he began landing hit after hit, ending his assail with a punch in the chest that left the raven haired man wheezing. He then turned in a roundhouse kick and caught Chase in the head knocking him to the ground. Seeing he wasn't out yet, Omi quickly descended with an axe kick that grazed his temple and bashed his head on the concrete, rendering him motionless.

"I was lucky he was already weary." He whispered with a bit of guilt lacing his words.

Keiko came from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "You did good pipsqueak."

"Yes, I could have hurt him even move otherwise."

The woman sweat dropped hearing that. She shook her head getting over it quickly. "At least everything is over now."

"It's not." She frowned when her partner's eyes darkened as they settled on something behind her. She heaved a sigh, knowing what it was he meant.

"I'll go get the car."

**-.-**

After standing several minutes of one red head's whining while moving him in the car as well as a long explanation of what has taken place to Clay and reassurances of an upcoming explanation on Kimiko's part, the group was speeding through Tokyo as Phantom directed. He wasn't going to risk going to his own apartment so they were heading out of the city and to his and Jack's house.

The journey was spent mostly in silence with Kimiko and Keiko occasionally checking on Jack who started to develop a fever and was seconds away from passing out all the while the thief used every ounce of patience to not blow up into a rant and call the hospital. He managed to relax only slightly knowing his best friend was on good hands – well, Kimiko's hands because he wasn't sure about the others – but the sudden reminding of how his own stubbornness and recklessness brought him to make the same mistake stirred his old remorseful feelings and apprehension.

His brother got injured and eventually died because he didn't listen when he had to. He couldn't fathom the thought of something happening to Jack because of his same slip. The red head – along with his more tech-obsessive, doubtful and paranoid side – was his only friend ever since he lost his brother. Regardless of meeting him out of pure coincidence they stuck right away; a lone thief generally relying on raw skill and dumb luck and an underrated computer geek with nothing better to do.

It was fate.

He only hoped fate would still wish to keep them together.


	10. Wavering

**Wavering **

"_The art of stealing is more complex than people give it credit for. A good thief is always on guard, always prepared for any given situation, yet no matter how much planning is accomplished it still doesn't make up for skill and training. Until you are capable of sneaking up on that rabbit without scaring it, you will never prove yourself worthy of my teachings."_

…

"_Remember, boys, the prize is not important but the way to acquire it. Even stealing an unknown item can be blown into a national event if the thief is doing it in a non-conventional manner. Also, it's important for a good thief to use raids from time to time as a means to test themselves. If you were caught in a place before, go back and try again. See whether you've improved or you need more practice." _

…

"_Arrogance has no place in a thief's mind. Arrogance leads to mistakes and mistakes lead to failure. A failed robbery can very well sign the death warrant for a thief. Understand that while a confident façade may trick others into believing you're more proficient that they think, it does have one dangerous down-side. You're not the only one who can prepare, after all."_

…

Rai sighed for the nth time. The day passed in a blur and now he was lying on the couch while Kimiko slept with Jack in the bedroom to make sure nothing bad would happen again. He was dead tired but couldn't close his eyes without replaying the scene from earlier. Past voices also didn't help his stressed mind either.

He chose to distract himself by thinking how the day went only to grimace as he remembered Jack's pale – well, paler than normal – face when they had arrived. The shirt they used to wrap and tightened the wound with was soaked in blood and his fever skyrocketed until Kimiko placed several ice packs on him to stabilize his temperature. He has been sleeping ever since and Rai couldn't honestly blame him. Such a trauma was hard to get used to in just a few hours even thought Kimiko mentioned he was dealing with it better than others. That caused Rai to proudly think how Jack always has been stronger than people first believed.

Then came the part he dreaded. They had to explain things quickly as to give the three officers time to also get ready to leave to the section. They weren't drawn into the last night's operation because of the reason they were too emotionally involved and Rai had to agree wholeheartedly with that.

So after telling them everything – though his own answers were more vague and reserved than Kimiko's – the cowboy, the chick and the baldy – as Rai dubbed them – left with the promise of keeping them updated of the situation. However, he had the weird feeling Clay and Omi didn't particularly like him if the glares and cold shoulders said anything. At that moment he didn't care but without the possibility of sleeping he finally got time to think about it.

Because of his own selfishness, one of their best friends ended up an accomplice for one of the most wanted thieves of Brazil, Australia, United States and now Japan. Also, it was still his fault how Japan's security has been humiliated twice in less than two weeks and the fact that considering what has happened last night, it was very probable of them losing their jobs and maybe ending up in jail.

He was a bit surprised when he thought of it later.

'_So this is where that Arrogance part comes into play…'_ He mused forlornly. _'…well, it's not exactly a death warrant but…with the way those two were watching me I believe it may not be much of a stretch…'_

News came later in the afternoon – bad or good, it actually depended on perspectives – when Keiko mailed Kimiko and told her about Chase Young. To say he was furious would have been a crime of the highest level mostly taking into account the way he was defeated and by whom.

As they all have been expecting, he reported everything that took place; everything up until the fight on the docks. None of them could accept as true the fact that he lied about Clay's, Omi's and Keiko's involvement, but of course their questions had to be put on hold when he went to explain a more abridged recount of the events with descriptions and verbal exchanges.

Now, the police had more detailed depictions of both Phantom and his accomplice though, they weren't sure if they knew Jack's identity. Nonetheless, he and Kimiko decided to wait for a two weeks period in order for him to recover before they could leave the country. Initially it was only one but Rai reminded the girl she would have to create herself a new identity and that required some time and money. They were still debating whether to make one for Jack too until they agreed to wait for him to wake up and more information to come from Keiko.

**-.-**

_He was running on the staircase again, trying to reach for the roof as his brother told him. The thunderous footsteps from behind closed in on him and he prayed his older sibling was following him. He hadn't been as scared as he was at that time never before. He knew he had made several mistakes while infiltrating and he knew Haze knew it as well yet, in spite of that he choose to continue._

_Why…Why would he risk their lives for a compromised cause? _

"Arrogance has no place in a thief's mind."_ That's what his father used to tell them. _

_But he honestly couldn't make head or tails of his brother's intentions and it wasn't like he could voice it aloud, after all, he hesitantly decided to bring him along in the first place._

_He rammed his shoulder in the door to pry it open and the cold air of the night hit his sweaty face full force. He stopped to catch his breath as his eyes traveled on the small area filled with huge pipes and cylinders whereas the roofs rose on both sides blocking from view the surrounding streets and buildings._

'What to do, what to do…'_ He wasn't sure where he was supposed to run any longer. Should he hide behind the ducts? Was Haze even behind him anymore? _

_When he chanced looking back, an object bigger than him slammed into him sending him face first on the concrete. But the contact was fortunately avoided when the person grabbed his upper arm and started dragging him on the other side. _

"_I said don't stop." A frustrated voice called and Phantom silently breathed in relief when he realized it was his brother._

_They weaved through the machineries all the while yells from the back reached their ears with a slowly increasing intensity. Several bangs resounded but Haze maneuvered them out of sight, the bullets hitting the metallic surface of the pipelines. They were almost on the edge when an unexpected sense of dread curled in the pit of his stomach._

_He wasn't sure where it came from nor what it meant but the air shifted around them, reality bent and they were suddenly running in slow-motion. The pressure on his arm retreated and the Phantom tried calling for his brother._

_Only it wasn't his brother anymore and he wasn't on the rooftop either. Rather the sky shut down, leaving everything in a frightening shadow with him in the middle of it. Their earlier pursuers were lost in the darkness and the figure in front of him continued to run away, faster and further until he too was swallowed in the blackness._

"_Haze!" His scream was muted, seemingly unable to penetrate the dark walls surrounding him. His hand stretched forward in an attempt at recovering the human presence despite not being sure of its identity. "Come back…"_

"Well, don't you two look changed…"_ He started at the familiar voice echoing with a surprising clarity. _"You are growing so fast…might as well retire and bask in the good life you'll make me, haha!"

"What makes you think we'll do that?..."

_He stopped, desperately looking around through the slits of his mask. "Wha'?"_

"Why you, ungrateful child… I raised you now show some respect for your elders…"

_The words trailed in the air until the gravity gave away and Phantom found himself hitting face first the floor of an average room that he knew too well._

"I will make waves in the world…I will rob and steal and always return…"

_The voice declared but the room remained empty. Stretching out in the bright light of the outside sun, everything looked terrifyingly clean and beautiful. Phantom shook his head feeling the hammering pounds of his heart and his quickening breathing, before bursting through the doors back into the darkness. He gasped, eyes wide opened as he turned on the spot and saw the door vanishing, changing into dust and scattering all around._

"What's the point in that?..."

"Father said we should make our own style…I'm doing just that…"

_BANG_

_He jumped and the earlier scenery returned. Haze was gripping his arm, the guards were coming after them and they were running on the rooftop. He panicked realizing what was to follow._

_Although he tried not to, although he screamed on the inside to stop, his younger self looked back and he missed the thin, old tube lying on the ground. He tripped, Haze halted with the sudden weight pulling him back and then the bang of the releasing bullet broke through the air. _

"…_I will rob and steal and always return…"_

Rai sat up on the couch panting. His throat hurt like he has been screaming to several hours straight, but the darkened house spoke of silent tranquility. His body gave away with exhaustion as he fell back on the cushions, breathing in and out. Running a hand through his wet hair and clammy face he closed his eyes concentrating on the swift poundings of his heart.

"Just when I finally fell asleep too…" He muttered drained.

He sat unmoving for several minutes before he finally found the motivation to drag himself to the kitchen and warm up some tea. It was clear he wouldn't be going back to sleeping any time soon. Some tea might relax him and make him feel better and if not, it gave him something to do.

**-.-**

The week passed uneventful for Kimiko. She tended to Jack every day, gave him the necessary medicine and changed the bandages while the red head found it to be quite flattening and even began calling her 'nurse Kimiko'. Of course he stopped doing that after day three when she bonked him hard on the head and knocked him unconscious for several good hours.

All in all, he was on his way to recovery. But Kimiko wasn't worried about Jack anymore. Ever since that night, she noticed several changes in Raimundo; one was he was always up earlier than her, in fact she had an inkling he barely slept and that thought proved true as the days passed by and the bags under his eyes became more evident. Two, he was way too quiet, a far cry of how he usually behaved. And three, he started to space out a lot.

Now he tried to hide everything and pretend it was all ok around her and Jack but it was painfully obvious to her that something was terribly wrong. She was especially mad that he choose to keep the whole thing to himself and not confide in her or even Jack, though she suspected the red-head was familiar with this. Nonetheless, she decided to confront him.

Another dinner began in perfect silence but Kimiko didn't expect it to end the same way. She slowly put her chopsticks down and mentally prepared to dive in.

"Rai, are you feeling ok?"

Jack glanced at her for two seconds before sighing and lowering his fork too. They weren't going to eat any more.

The one in questioned blinked at her confused. "Of course I'm fine."

Kimiko shook her head with a frown. "Please, don't do that." She sighed exasperatedly when Rai continued to watch her puzzled. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You keep faking everything is fine with you when it's _not_. Why don't you tell us what's bothering you instead of bottling it up? It's not healthy not to mention it won't do you any good."

"Maybe I'm not telling you because it's something personal and because it's _none of your business_." He replied with the slight tinge of annoyance lacing his words.

The woman frowned at the outburst but wasn't about to give in. "That may be so but you can't solve every problem on your own."

"Yes, I can. And why? Because they're mine. Why should I implicate someone with no reason in something they wouldn't understand?"

"No reason? I think a good reason would be that we're friends and in case you've forgotten, friends help each other. And about not understanding, I believe I've been in my fair share of shitty situations to come up with a better way to deal with my problems other than lock myself up and ignore the whole world."

Rai fixed his emerald haze on her with a steel glare. "So you think that just because you've seen horrible things you can understand how it is to suffer through them, is that right? Well, let me tell you something, princess, you know nothing about real pain. You do not know how painful it is for a father to feed ten kids in a poor forgotten village and still smile and hope for tomorrow. You can't imagine what a kid feels like when he's ignored and put down by his own parents, when he's forced to live in the same house with a bunch of strangers and then thrown out simply because he's written off as not fit for their heritage. You have no idea what it means to watch somebody you love _die_ in front of you with nothing to do and no one to be there for you to say it'll be alright. You can't even begin to dream how unbearable it is to experience such pains on your own, not to mention stand and bounce back like nothing happened afterwards."

There were several minutes of silence marked by Raimundo's hard breathing as he stared right through Kimiko's soul. The searing anger running through his eyes only emphasized his point and it didn't soothe in the slightest bit as he continued in a calm tone, ignoring the woman's stillness.

"You are so ignorant…you're life is so good and you think you can help anyone with some comforting words. Not everyone wants that. We all have ways to cope with disturbing experiences and I tell you, in my case this is not one of them. Jack is fine, that's everything I wanted, it's just that the accident reminded me of something from my past. I have nightmares, if you want me to answer your question so badly. There is nothing I can't handle. So do me a favor and stop prying." With that, the brunet stood up and walked out the door.

Kimiko felt ashamed of herself if not a bit angry too. Again, she passed the line when all she wanted was to help. She held the tears in as she rushed to the bathroom and then broke down. And this time there was no Raimundo to hold her.

Alone at the table, Jack sighed as he began gathering the dishes with one hand. He tried to tune out the silent sobs coming from the restroom, but he couldn't deny that Raimundo's words touched a chord in him too. He knew how it was to suffer on a mental and emotional level, yes, and he knew how sensitive his friend got on such subject.

'_But he doesn't know the meaning of holding back, does he?'_

Raimundo never liked exposing his deepest feelings unless in certain circumstances and he never liked people bugging him about it either. He thought he could deal with the pain on his own yet Jack could still remember times when the brunet was on the verge of breaking and he was there for him. He was sure he was the only person on earth Raimundo trusted entirely and that's why he didn't say anything. Raimundo would come to him if he wanted a talk. If he hadn't come until then, then Jack knew he could handle it alright. Unfortunately, nobody told Kimiko about that unwritten law.

He shook his head and mulled whether he should talk to Kimiko about it and make her understand. Pausing in front of the door where the woman locked herself up, he decided he should wait for her to calm down. Until then…

'_Hello, pudding dear.'_ He still needed to eat.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not much of a good nightmare scenes writer because I've never in my life remembered what I would dream about. My friend is usually telling me of her dreams but most of the times they are funny and I'm lol-ing on the ground at how ridiculous they can be. :) <strong>**Hope you'll find this satisfying. **

**Now, there's one more chapter to go and this story can be labelled as complete. :D**


	11. Choosing

**Choosing**

It was three hours later when Kimiko walked out of the bathroom bearing red, swollen eyes and a running nose. No matter how much she washed, the proof she had been bawling her eyes out would stay glued on her face. She felt guilty like never before and she wasn't sure what she wanted to do next. Her first option would have been to simply leave but a voice inside her head told her to stay.

She shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of those furious green eyes again. Actually, she didn't want to face Raimundo any time soon. So she settled upon talking to Jack. But when she peered in the room she found him sleeping on the bed with two cups of pudding on his overflowing desk. Her brow twitched and she whined poorly in her throat.

She headed for the door next when it was suddenly pulled back and she ended up face to face with the last person she wanted to see. Raimundo for his part jumped back with a start, never expecting to see Kimiko the moment he stepped inside. He actually considered his outburst would made her leave immediately and maybe that was what she was about to do.

But somehow, the way she looked, so unkempt, clashed with that thought. The first thing he thought as he laid eyes on her was that she looked awful. Her black long hair was disheveled, her eyes were puffy and red and he could still see the trails of tears on her flushed cheeks. She quickly averted her gaze letting ebony bangs to cover her eyes and even though she couldn't see it he did the same.

"So you want to leave?" He asked tentatively.

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't know. I just…" She motioned for the door vaguely while shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I guess, I wanted some fresh air."

"Oh…" Rai stiffly stepped away from the door.

The woman moved out with one last glance and several minutes passed before she shouted. "At least I'm not the only one with temperamental problems."

The brunet looked up with a frown at that and stepped in the threshold crossing his arms over his chest. "I so do _not_ have a temper problem. You on the other hand would do well with some therapy."

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I wasn't the only one screaming. In fact, if memory serves me right, you were the one who took over the whole conversation."

"Yeah, it's called making a point and rendering you speechless." He said before adding with a victorious smirk. "…And winning an argument too."

Kimiko growled and punched him in the shoulder prompting the thief to yelp and rub the sore spot. "My, my, temperamental _and_ violent…what a combination."

"Oh, I'll show you a combination with my fists alright." She threatened and they both took off in the night, Kimiko trailing the laughing boy.

She felt a smile tug at her lips as they ventured towards the woods and it wasn't long until she too was laughing. When Rai stopped she took her chance and bumped into him throwing them both rolling on the ground. They came to a standstill with Kimiko on top, straddling the brunet beneath her with a happy gleam shining in her eyes.

"I suppose you don't want to see that combination, do you?" She laughed but it faltered when she noticed the wicked look in his eyes.

"I would like to see other combinations, truthfully." Taking note of their position, Kimiko punched him again in the same place and rolled beside him on her back. "Girl, you hit hard."

"I get that all the time."

"Bad guys and not-very-close friends?"

She tilted her head to look at him and grinned. "Not really…More like perverted boyfriends."

Rai blinked at her before he broke out laughing, Kimiko joining him right away. "So what does that make me?" He challenged but was only answered with silence as their amusement faded.

Kimiko bit her lip nervously. "Rai…I'm really sorry about earlier."

The brunet sighed tilted her head to look at him with a finger. "It was my fault. You were trying to be helpful and I was an ass to turn you down. I should do the apologizing here."

"You were still right about one thing, thought. I've never known real pain. My mama died when I was born, so I never knew her but papa was there for me every second of my life. He filled her place like no one could. I've never face a hard situation to face until I joined the police forces and even then it was about others' pain. And this whole thing…I had it easy. I still have Keiko, Omi and Clay…"

"But you lost your mentor…" Rai continued sadly.

"But I lost Chase…" She repeated and her words were marked by a serene hush.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you…" Raimundo finally whispered drawing Kimiko's eyes to his. "I don't like burdening others with my stuff…If it's something I can solve, I'll do it on my own. Jack knows it too…"

Kimiko smiled a little. "Rai, your problems aren't a burden to anyone, if anything they are a sign of trust…Do you trust me?"

She waited with growing apprehension as Raimundo reflected upon her question. When he came with a suitable reply he smirked. "I do…But don't expect me to come crying at you whenever I have trouble. I'd rather see you struggle a bit…"

SMACK

"Ouch…Seriously, are you going to do that every time you're pissed?"

Kimiko mockingly tapped her chin with a finger. "Well, you're tall and solid, pretty resistant too…" The brunet tried to understand what she was talking about with close to no luck. "…Yeah, you'd do a nice punching bag."

He felt his brow twitch. "Wow, I thought for a moment you were complementing me…" He stated dryly.

"Oh, please…Your ego is big enough without me expanding it more."

She watched smiling as he frowned playfully and before they knew it they were caught up in a game of who riled up the other more. It only ended when both of them could barely stay awake and had to get back, however, they were very pleased with the way things turned out. As it was, their relationship just got better and a certain mutual understanding fell over them: 'I won't bother you unless you ask for it.'

**-.-**

The following week couldn't have been better for the trio. The old friend they asked to forge a new identity for Kimiko did his job very well; now she was Kia Morimoto, an unemployed woman with no living relatives and no criminal record, obviously. They also found out that Jack was still unknown to the world but he still had to stay low in case he was seen and recognized by the police.

His wound was healing but it would still take another month for him to fully recover. As it was he was unable to use his right arm and he got tired easily but Rai deemed that as him trying to laze around and take advantage of his and Kimiko's patience. By the time, the week ended they were heading for the Tokyo airport. But not before dropping by Mister Myuki's house to leave the Eye of Dashi.

_The short, plump man walked on the corridors of his mansion, sighing as he thought for the millionth time about the treasure he lost. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings so he was scared half to death when he felt something smooth and thin falling down his neck._

_He screamed in fright, hands shooting up and grabbing the intrusive object. What he didn't expect was the very same treasure he has been thinking of to appear in his hand as he fingered the beautiful golden string strapped around his neck._

And since now the attention was on the returned jewel, the three were free to embark a plane and head for a well-deserved vacation. Jack's first option was Dubai but given that his injure still needed time to heal, they opted for the second option which was Spain. Kimiko made sure to get as much money as possible from her bank account and paid the ride to Barcelona as an apologize for everything that has happened, even though Rai disagreed – Jack was more than happy about it.

The plane was preparing to take off when Rai abruptly sat down next to her, holding Jack's laptop. "Somebody wants to talk to you." He said then placed the computer on her lap and left with a barely concealed smile.

Kimiko decided to ignore his odd behavior and clicked the connection on, gapping like a fish as she laid eyes on the person. She quickly plugged in the headphones so no one would be able to hear their conversation and smiled softly.

_"How is my sweetheart?"_

She giggled. "I'm fine, papa. Very fine."

_"I swear I didn't recognize you for a second there. You look good with red hair sweetie."_ Toshiro spoke affectingly making the woman blush.

"Thanks, papa…" Her smile wavered slightly. "Do you…um…do you know what has happened in Tokyo lately?"

She noticed Toshiro pursed his lips before smiling and nodding. _"Yes, I know…remember, I keep tabs on my little girl!"_ He laughed lightly though Kimiko couldn't say she felt any amusement.

"Papa, I'm really sorry – "

The man held up his hand. _"Kimiko, don't even think I'm angry with you. How could I be, sweetie? I'm proud of you no matter what, you're my little girl and I love you very much. Beside, those things get blown out of proportions all the time…"_ Kimiko beamed with happiness knowing this and seeing her father so laidback about the whole situation. _"I only want to tell you this, sweetheart…If you think is right then do it. If is not, then make sure you don't repeat the mistake. I trust you, Kimiko, never forget that."_

The woman was amazed how her father managed to make her feel as if she was twelve all over again. She nodded obediently smiled lovingly at him with blurry eyes. "Thank, papa."

_"Oh, and one more thing…"_ He said then suddenly grew serious. _"Be careful around those boys, alright. You wouldn't want to see your old man beat them up into next week…or how kids say it these days."_ Kimiko couldn't help it. She laughed her head off while on the other side of the screen, Toshiro nodded knowingly happy to see his girl with a wide smile.

"Papa…you don't have to worry about them…" She chuckled wiping the tears from her eyes. "Because they're gonna have to face _me_ first…"

_"I know…I didn't even expect those old joints to cause much damage anyway."_ He sighed with teasing dejection.

"Thank you, papa. I feel so relieved now."

Toshiro smiled at his beloved daughter with delight. _"If this is what you want then I have no place to interfere. Take care, sweetie. And don't forget I love you and always will."_

"I love you too, papa."

The screen flickered and the link closed. She stared at the computer with a warm smile on her lips for a few more seconds before she saw from the corner of her eye a person standing beside her.

"Did you like it?"

She inclined her head at him, the affection not leaving her face in the slightest bit. "It was the second best moment out of this whole thing."

Raimundo raised a brow waiting for her to go into detail. "Second best?"

She leaned forward, her breath passing over his neck as she asked mischievously. "Wanna see the first?"

"I would like that…yes." And he also leaned down capturing her sky blue eyes with his own forest green ones. They were both inches apart, teasing each other with their warm breathings flowing on their skin when –

"Can you please return to your seat, sir? The plane will take off shortly."

Jack burst into fits of laughter watching each of them turn with appalled faces at the flight attendant. Well, Kimiko did, Raimundo choose to regard her with a look of utter irritation all the while, the woman smiled amiably at them as if she they weren't about to jump and rip her to pieces for interrupting the moment.

"Sir, can you return to your seat, please?" She repeated obliviously.

With a violently twitching eye, Raimundo sat up, took the laptop and walked away without a word. Kimiko watched him go crossly, even thought her fury was directed mainly at the woman who dared to meddle. She sighed as the plane started to shake when a sudden, loud smack echoed through the cabin making people turn their heads at the source.

Kimiko snickered catching glimpse of the pouting red head and the frowning Raimundo. She shook her head as she connected her headphones to her phone and let the music beat in her ears to pass time while making herself comfortable.

There was a long way to Spain after all.

* * *

><p><strong>And this marks the end of the first part of the 'Different Paths' trilogy. Yes! You've heard me, there are two more stories planned in this series which I haven't started yet but soon will. <strong>

**As it is now, I have a bit of a crash writing the beinning of the sequel, but I know I can get over it. Dunno when it will be posted thought, so keep an eye out. The name is 'Different Paths: Playing Spy' and it'll introduce several more characters from the show. :)**

**Untill next time...**

**The Green Seer is out!**


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